


The Wall

by DonTheRock



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Elves, Fairies, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantasy, Forbidden Love, Gay, Love, M/M, Magic, Mystical Creatures, Teen Romance, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22741522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DonTheRock/pseuds/DonTheRock
Summary: The wall was built to protect the people. Beyond it, evil creatures are said to lurk, waiting for their chance to curse the land. Carlos is the son of a potter who lives in the town of Salaecity, the only town that borders the wall. Carlos was content with never seeing the other side, that is until a peculiar boy shows up at his father's shop. The boy, Seb, presents Carlos with a whole knew perspective of the world, making him question if good and evil are truly so clear-cut. But what happens when the townsfolk find out about the boys' escapades?
Relationships: Big Red/Ashlyn Caswell, Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Seb Matthew-Smith & Carlos Rodriguez, Seb Matthew-Smith/Carlos Rodriguez, Seblos – Relationship
Comments: 16
Kudos: 43





	1. Don't You Ever Wonder?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give a shout out to TheLadyNoir who inspired me to write a Seblos fic. They have the most amazing royals seblos au, so go check it out. https://archiveofourown.org/works/22005445/chapters/52512052

**Carlos’s POV**

As soon as I completed my final class at the town's schoolhouse this year, summer began. For me, summer means not having to do homework and seeing my best friend, Ashlyn, more often, but it also means working at my father's shop more days a week. I don't mind working here, although there are too many breakable items on the shelves that keep me from being able to dance in the downtime, so I rely on Ashlyn's great company to keep me entertained. 

My father is a potter. He makes all of the items that clutter the store. Most are just copies of the same dish or vase reproduced a bunch of times, but every once in a while, he'll make something absolutely unique and interesting. My favorite is the one bowl on the bottom of the back shelf. I put it there hoping that no one would buy it and take it away too soon. About the size of both my palms put together, it has delicately engraved swirls all around the outside, and it's coloured with various deep shades of purple.

The one who paints and stains the pottery is my mother. She takes what my father sculpts and brings them to life, adding a significant portion of the visual appeal. All her work is identifiable by the many light dabs of the sponges, which give her art a cloudy effect, and the thin, precise lines of detail. Together, my parents keep our family income flowing. 

I am the odd one out of the three. I don't exactly know what I want to do when I grow up, but it's not pottery. I'm awful at the art. I enjoy dancing, but in a town like Salaecity, there isn't much demand for dancers or entertainers of any kind. 

So for now, I'm stuck here, leaning on the counter by the money drawer, waiting for a customer to enter in and talking to my friend in the meantime. 

"This morning, my cousin was hovering over my dad the whole time he was working on his suit," Ashlyn tells me. "Any time my dad folded or moved the fabric, EJ asked what he was doing."

"Hey, can't blame a guy for wanting his tux made right," I say. 

Ashlyn's father is a tailor, the best one in the town. He charges the highest price for his craft, but he always delivers top-notch quality. Currently, his schedule keeps him occupied at all times, due to the packed list of orders he has. Many people are wanting something new made for them to wear to the Summer Solstice Celebration.

Apart from Christmas, the Summer Solstice Celebration is the largest event of the year for the town. It's when everyone gathering together to have a huge bonfire, a feast, and to partake in mingling and dancing. It begins at 3 o'clock and goes all the way until sundown. It's my favorite event of the year, for it's one of the rare times my dancing is welcomed and applauded rather than just brushed off. 

This year, my father has been asked to create all new dishes for the feast, so he's been hard at work doing that. He's being largely compensated of course, so he couldn't possibly say no to such an offer. He hopes that by having more people see his products, he will gain more customers. 

"How's my suit coming along?" I wonder. 

"It's getting there. It took a while to try to find the floral, burgundy fabric you requested, though. My dad sent me out to get it, and I couldn't find it at Ms. Ackronis's shop, so I had to go to Miss Jenn's. Anyway, it gave me a reason to stop by, so thank you. Did you know that the Summer Solstice Celebration originates from the pagan holiday Litha?"

"You know you shouldn't talk about that," I remind my friend. "Witch traditions aren't welcome here, and if my father hears—"

"I know," she whines, "but it's all just so fascinating. Miss Jenn always teaches me something new when I stop by. She knows so much about the Black Woods, and she's basically the only adult who will say more than just that I shouldn't ask about it. She told me about these creatures called fauns. Apparently they have the top half of a human and the bottom of a goat."

"And the brain of a psychopath," I mumble.

"No, she said she's met one," Ashlyn says. "She said he was really very nice."

"That's not possible," I respond. "She couldn't have met one. The wall's been up since before our grandparents were born."

Ashlyn listens to what I say, but she's far too wonderstruck by Miss Jenn's tales to think logically. 

"I believe her," she says. 

Nobody alive in the town of Salaecity has ever seen the Black Woods in person, at least not as far as I know, but everybody's knows what's over there. Some call the creatures that lurk there remnants from Hell that spilled out at some point in the past. I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. The historians simply say that there are beings of dark magic existing over there. At first, human kind and magical folk lived in harmony, but then they turned against us and tried to overpower us, so the king ordered that a giant wall of stone be erected around the entirety of the Black Woods and all the way around Spirit's Bay where all the magical creatures were expelled to in order to keep them away from the rest of the Land of Iskan. 

Salaecity happens to be the only town where its outskirts touch the 30-foot-tall wall. Even so close, I've never seen anything magical with my eyes, unless you count the "magically good" waffles at Catherine's Diner. My life is plain and normal, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but Ashlyn has such a restless curiosity that she tends to get her wrapped up in unflattering situations sometimes.

Miss Jenn is a textile maker who's shop and house happens to be right beside the wall and is a ten minute walk from the rest of town. She's lucky her supply and skills are incomparable to those of the other textile makers, because otherwise she'd probably be completely shunned. She's often referred to as the crazy lady of Salaecity, for her knowledge of magical folk and creatures extends well beyond that of any normal person's. My father has warned me not to talk to her, but Ashlyn ends up going over to her store on a regular basis to purchase fabrics for her father, and every time, she comes back with a new factoid about the Black Woods to tell me. 

I actually have one of the embroidered rugs that Miss Jenn also makes laid out as a doormat for those entering my father's shop. Ashlyn gave it to me after one of her recent ventures over there, and I must admit that that crazy lady does have an incredibly refined talent. 

"I worry that you may be becoming too invested in all this magic stuff," I say. "The Black Woods may sound enchanting and mystical, but it's dangerous."

"Maybe so," Ashlyn accepts, "but don't you ever wonder what's over there?"

"Sometimes," I admit, "but then I remember that reality is over here, and there was a reason the wall was built in the first place."

"Come on, Carlos. Where's your spirit of curiosity?"

"Uh, I don't know. Have you checked kindergarten?" I sass. 

"Oof, okay."

The clunking of feet interrupts us as my father appears coming down the stairs.

"Ashlyn, nice to see you!" he greets.

"You too, Mr. Rodriguez."

"Carlos how are sales today?" 

"Three more since the last time you asked," I reply. 

"Wonderful," my dad cheers. He walks on past the counter toward the door, but before heading out, he asks one more thing. "Ashlyn, since you're not busy, would you be willing to help me pick up some clay from Ol' Wence's Store?"

"Of course," Ashlyn replies. 

She gives me a nod of farewell before stepping outside with my father, leaving me alone in the quiet shop. After a few minutes of humming random tunes that come to my mind, bells chime, and I look up to see a boy entering into the store. 

He looks about my age with light blonde hair. He wears a blue button-up shirt and dark jeans, and he looks around aimlessly, as though everything he's seeing is some kind of wonder of the world. The strangest thing about him is that I don't recognize him. Meeting a new boy in this town is rare, so my entire body instantly straightens up, clinging onto the tiny speck of a chance that I could finally make a new friend or possibly more than a friend. After all, he is very cute. Being the only out gay boy in town, I'm just so starved for any opportunity of love that even this far-off idea excites me. 

"Hi," I say, spreading a large smile on my face. "Can I help you find anything?"

The boy spins around surprised as though only now realizing I'm here. 

"No, thank you," he replies, his voice soft and gentle like an angel about to sing a lullaby. 

I watch him wander around, gazing at every shelf, for at least three minutes before asking again, "You still don't need help?"

His cheeks are flushed as he looks to me and says, "Maybe I do."

I try not to smile too much as I make my way over to where he stands scanning the shelves before him. 

"So what are you looking for?" I ask. 

He ponders his answer for a moment, using his hands to help show an approximate size. Eventually, he settles on a width and says, "I need a bowl about this big."

"I see. How deep?"

"It doesn't really matter. It can be pretty shallow."

I nod and consider the options. This boy seems like he'd want something more grandiose than the simpler pieces we have, so that knocks out a lot of options. Finally, I land on the only bowl that I deem worthy enough for a boy of his beauty, and I reach for my favorite purple bowl.

"Will this do?" I ask. 

He beams and nods cordially. "Yes, that's perfect. Wait, can it withstand fire?"

"Yes, actually. The stain used for this one is completely fireproof."

"Then it's perfect."

"Wonderful. That's 16 silvers."

I lead him over to the front counter and set the bowl down there. While the boy searches his pockets for the money, I take the opportunity to ask more about him.

"Where are you from? I've never seen you around before, so I assume not here."

"Oh, uh, yeah," he replies. "I'm from a town a bit North."

"Cantonuie?" 

"Yeah, that place." 

The boy sets the sixteen silver coins on the counter, and I put them into the money drawer then turn around to get some paper to wrap the bowl in. After wrapping the dish, I place it inside a fabric bag and walk it around the counter.

"Would you like me to help you bring it out to your horse?" I offer. 

"Oh, I don't have a horse."

His answer puzzles me. "So you walked all the way from Cantonuie?"

The boy's mouth opens, and he stutters as he responds, "Oh, no—no, of course not. I mean I rode here with my father on his horse, and I can carry the bag on my own."

"Are you sure?" I check. "I really don't mind—"

"I'm sure," he insists, seeming a tad frantic. "But thank you."

He gives me a smile before turning and going toward the door. I hurry to get ahead so that I can open the door for him, and I see his cheeks tint pink at the gesture. 

"I'm Carlos, by the way," I say. 

"I'm Seb," he responds, the cute smile not leaving his face. 

"Well, Seb, I do hope to see you again."

Seb's smile loosens a little, and he hesitates a second before replying in a gentle voice, "If fate decides so, I would certainly be more than delighted."

I don't really understand what that means, but I'm charmed nonetheless. Seb takes a step to leave, but his foot catches on the trim between the flooring and the wooden sidewalk outside, and I immediately reach for his hand and keep him from falling. The touch makes my hopelessly romantic heart flutter more than it should, and it droops when the boy finds his balance again and lets go. 

"Thank you," he says with a slight laugh, "again."

I smile, and he tries again at leaving, this time doing so successfully. I keep my eyes on him as he walks down the sidewalk. His horse isn't in sight, so I assume his father must have ridden it elsewhere while Seb was here. 

After a few metres, Seb turns back and flashes me another smile, and as he's returning forward, I notice something unusual about his ears. They come to a sharp point at each helix. I've never seen anyone with ears like that before. He certainly is a peculiar sight, in more ways than one. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola! I'm so excited to give you all the first chapter of this story! I think you will all be very interested, and I hope you like it a lot, because I have so many ideas that I'm looking forward to writing. Thank you all for reading this, and I'll see you soon with the next chapter!


	2. Glossary of Magical Beings

The following is an incomplete and continuously growing list of the magical beings who inhabit The Black Woods. Most are based off preexisting mythological creatures, but I've also altered many to fit the purpose of this story.  
  
  


**Humanoid Beings:**

** Brownie **

Belonging to the same family as fairies and sprites, a brownie is wingless version of a fairy. They resemble humans completely, save for their size. In the past, they often helped the humans with cleaning and caring for their houses in exchange for gifts, but since the wall was built, they no longer interact with the humans. Brownies have to power to control wind, which they often use to propel themselves into their air to compensate for their lack of wings. This power also came in handy in the past when they would use their ability to blow dust and grime clear from the humans' houses.

Average height: 15 cm  
  
  


** Dwarf **

Dwarves, like gnomes, resemble humans except that they are shorter and stalkier. Unlike gnomes, however, a dwarf does not have magical abilities, but their eye sight is impeccable, making them excellent at seeing at night and in dark spaces, hence their well-known past of working in mines before the humans cast them out. They also have pointed ears, a trait they share with elves.

Average Height: 0.8 m  
  
  


** Elf **

Elves look remarkably similar to humans except for their pointed ears. They have the ability to turn themselves and the things they touch invisible. Along with this, they also have the power to both cure disease and cause it, making them both a useful healer and a danger, for they can make anything ill at the touch.

Average height: 1.65 m (same as humans)  
  
  


** Fairy **

A fairy is a small, winged creature resembling a human. Their two wings are coloured, translucent, and incredibly detailed with soft lines, forming a special pattern for each fairy, like a finger print. They can do many forms of simple magic, which can be identified by a dusting of sparkly dust when a magical act is performed. However, their magical abilities do not extend as thorough as a witch's. Water is their biggest weakness, for a fairy cannot fly with damp wings.

Average height: 15 cm  
  
  


** Faun **

With the top half of a human and the bottom half of a goat, a faun possess no magical abilities, but they do have perfect pitch, so those fauns who do pursue music often do very well.

Average height: 1.65 m (same as humans)  
  
  


** Giant **

Giants greatly resemble humans, although they are typically shorter and wider in proportion than the average human. The biggest difference between humans and giants lies in the massive size of a giant, allowing them to tower over trees and cross rivers in a single step.

Average height: 10 m  
  
  


** Gnome **

In the same family as dwarfs, gnomes are short and stalky versions of humans, exactly like dwarfs except for their lack of pointed ears, their regular eyesight, and their magical connection to the earth, allowing them to create earthquakes in their proximity.

Average height: 0.8 m  
  
  


** Merperson **

Often called mermaids (female) or mermen (male), mermaids have the top half of a human, with their bottom half being a long fish tail. They can breathe in both water and air, but their lack of legs makes it easier for them to stay in the water.

Average height (from head to end of tail): 1.7 m   
  
  


** Ogre **

Ogres are blue-tinted creatures resembling humans but slightly larger and with overall bigger hands and feet, proportion-wise. Their ears are distinct to them, for they stick out of the sides of their heads like the bell of a horn. Historically, humans have often deemed ogres to be "ugly." They tend to enjoy more humid environments but can adapt to life anywhere.

Average height: 1.9 m  
  
  


** Sprite **

Sprites are in the same family as fairies and brownies. They, too, look like humans but smaller, and they have wings. They differ from those of a fairy, for they are colourless, lacking any design, and they have teardrop shapes, being rounder at the base and coming to a point at the outermost end. They also have four wings, rather than two, the top two being larger than the bottom two. Sprites cannot do simple magic like a fairy, nor can they control wind, but they instead have the ability to manipulate water. Because of their special connection to this element, sprites are perfectly capable of flying through water, and they are able to breathe both under water and in air.

Average height: 15 cm  
  
  


** Witch **

Arguably one of the most powerful beings, witches have a special knack for performing spells, casting charms, brewing potions, and flying on various objects, usually broomsticks. Humans have often associated witches with the hexes they may cast, but they are also capable of many forms of good magic as well. Witches have a unique connection to the universe, in that their deep natural understanding of it allows them to perform magic beyond that of many other creatures. Appearance-wise, they bear no difference from humans, making them able to blend into human societies easily.

Average height: 1.65 m (same as humans)  
  
  


**Animalistic Creatures:**

** Caladrius **

A caladruis is a bird the colour of snow, approximately the same size as a dove It has the ability to take a creature's illness onto itself and then fly away, ridding itself of the illness. However, it is difficult to get a calarius to do this, for it will not look at anyone sick or dying.  
  
  
  


** Chupacabra **

Chupacabras are heavy creatures, each about the size of a baby bear. They vary from grey to black to brown in colour, and have a line of spikes from the back of its neck all the way down its tail. Chupacabras are well-known for sucking the blood from goats and livestock using their sharp fangs, but they will do this to any animal it finds suitable. Rarely will it ever attempt drink the blood of a humanoid being, but it is not unheard of.   
  
  


**Coalfly**

Coalflies look just like butterflies, except for their luminescent glow and metallic colour that ranges anywhere from copper to silver to gold. Their are harmless to the touch, but their bodies react with any non-living matter, causing them to leave behind burns on the surface of what they'd come into contact with. 

**Firebird**

A firdbird is a large, peaceful bird with plumage as full as a peacock's. It has bright orange and red feathers which glow even after being plucked from the bird and remain glowing for years. For this reason, they are often kept as pets to be lights when needed.

**Kelpie**

Kelpies are the horses of the water. They are slightly translucent in colour and are comparable in size to a sprite the way a regular horse is to a human. They are cold-blooded creatures that are difficult to tame unless shown that the tamer has greater control over the water, which is why they are common companions of sprites. Kelpies themselves cannot control the water, but they can swim through it at great speeds.

**Pegasus**

Pegasi are horses with large angel-like wings. They are the most common mode of transportation for most of the magical folk, aside from witches.

** Sirens **

Although commonly mistaken for mermaids due to their similarity in appearance, sirens do not share the same human-like intelligence as mermaids. Instead, they follow an animal tendency to draw humans into the water using their hypnotizing voice, only to then drown them and feast on their bodies. To identify a siren apart from a mermaid, one should look for the siren's two tails compared to the mermaid's one.   
  
  


**Thunderbird**

A thunderbird is the size and shape of a two-headed eagle, but it differs in that it can create lightning from its eyes and can sound thunder from the flap of its wings. It can summon dark clouds at its will, and although it is a peaceful animal, its sporadic powers make it very dangerous to encounter.

**Unicorn**

Unicorns are like horses in appearance, except for their tall, ringed horn on its forehead. Their tears have healing powers, but they are not tameable, and they typically avoid all other beings, so it is very difficult to catch one. Even if caught, a unicorn only cries when it is happy, so collecting its tears is near impossible.

**References:**

https://www.mythical-creatures-and-beasts.com/mythical-creatures-list.html  
http://www.paganspath.com/meta/faeries.htm  
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/mythical_creature  
https://www.quora.com/Is-there-a-word-for-a-winged-horse-Pegasus-is-a-character-who-is-one-Is-there-an-actual-name-for-the-creatures  
https://www.mythical-creatures-and-beasts.com/mythical-creatures.html  
https://www.mythical-creatures-and-beasts.com/thunderbird.html  
http://www.native-languages.org/horned-serpent.htm  
http://www.mythcreatures.co.uk/beasts/firebird.asp


	3. Bigger Than a Bird

**Seb's POV**

I'm relieved to see the houses come into sight through the trees. I live in the village of Dandefield within the Black Woods. The houses here aren't as big and grand as the human houses I just saw, but they're still something to behold. They're built up of mostly wood with leaves intertwined in the roofing to add a layer of protection against the rain. The tall trees above block the elements most of the time, though, so not much is actually needed to protect the houses. The community runs along a dirt pathway with homes on either side, which eventually collides with another swirling roadway, bending along between the trees to get to each other village of the Black Woods. Some villages are separate, developed farther away from others, but they're all accessible by some winding trail. 

As I step onto the road, I have a moment of doubting whether what I just did even actually happened. It all seems so surreal looking back. But the bag in my hand reminds me that I did not imagine that all. I really crossed the wall. And that means the boy was real too. That cute boy with the adorable smile and sparkling eyes. Carlos. That was his name, wasn't it? Yes, Carlos. Just the memory of his makes an unstoppable smile creep onto my face. 

As soon as I open the front door to my house, I see my mother spin around in the kitchen to see me, and I quickly hide the bag with the bowl in it behind my back. 

"There you are," she says. "Where have you been?"

"No where," I reply. "Just with friends."

"Okay, well, go out and light the dandelions," my mom instructs. "Your little sister's been trying to get the pegasi to sleep for hours, but she couldn't find the burning bowl. She said you have it."

"Uh, yeah, I have it somewhere," I say nervously. "Sorry about that. I'll go find it right away."

I hurry across to the door that leads out to the yard, awkwardly trying to keep the bag concealed, and luckily for me, my mom is too busy prepping supper to notice me acting strange. Once I get through the doorway, I can finally relax, and I trudge across the huge field to get to the stables. 

My family grows and sells crops for a living. Along with that, we also have the only pegasi ranch in the village, so those who don't own a pegasus will often come to rent one of ours, and those who don't have the space to build their own stable will keep their pegasus stored here until they need to use it. When my three older sisters still lived here, they used to help out with the farming and caring for the pegasi, but now that work is left up to me and my younger sister, Jenny.

Jenny's only younger than me by a few years. She's fourteen, the awkward age where you're not really sure if you're supposed to be an adult or a child, plus you don't really know who you want to be yet, so overall you're just kind of a mess. Jenny's going through this phase where she only ever wears trousers and one of our grandfather's old plaid shirts, which are all giant on her, everyday. She always keeps her blonde hair tied back in a french braid, a smart decision she made years ago after seeing our the hair of our older sister, Farin, become a pegasus's snack. 

As I enter underneath the high ceiling of the centre stable, I'm hit with the orange glow of the lanterns dangling down the centre isle. Down each side of the path are dozens of stalls, each housing it's own pegasus, but some with whole families of the breed. The babies are always the cutest. I always enjoy getting to take those ones outside to help them learn to fly with their parents. Of course, while they're in the stable, they can fly a little, hence why we have the tall roof, but they can't go anywhere, for they're tied to a rope at the ankle to keep them from wandering off. 

At the far end of the isle, Jenny has an annoyed look on her face as I approach. 

"About time you came and did your job," she sasses, "or were you trying to make me calm the pegasi on my own."

I simply brush off Jenny's comment and set down the bag in my hand then pull out the purple dish and place it on the ground. 

"Uh, that's not our bowl," Jenny says. 

"Um, yeah, so I actually broke the bowl."

"Doing what?" she scoffs. 

Okay, so all the dishes were dirty this morning, so I used the burning bowl for my cereal. Then when I accidentally dropped it, and it shattered, I knew my parents would flip out when they found out, so I decided to go get a new bowl. That way, at least when they find out, it won't be a problem anymore, so they'll have to be less mad at me. 

However, finding a new bowl within the time constraints proved to be harder than I had initially planned. The only potter is Almaha, the witch at the corner by the pond, and she was all out of clay dishes. All she had left was metal, and anyone who knows anything about ember dandelions knows that if you light an ember dandelion aflame, it there are very few materials it won't burn through instantly, and unfortunately metal is not one of those. Clay, however, is. 

Knowing I couldn't return without a suitable bowl, or else putting the pegasi to sleep would be a nightmare, for any small noise or light will wake a pegasus if it's not properly calmed, I felt I had no option but to go home and face the consequences. But then I came upon the wall.

I knew I shouldn't have gone over there, but I also knew that my uncles had gone out once, for the humans' security is, frankly, pretty poor. They think a giant wall can keep all the most powerful creatures on one side. Really, we only stay here because there are few of us and countless of them. There's power in numbers, and if we tried to rejoin their society, we'd certainly be slaughtered. But going out alone isn't near as risky, so long as you're not discovered to be of magical descent. Being an elf, I pass for human quite easily, so I figured it wouldn't be difficult for me to go over, buy what I need, and come back. 

Luckily for me, there happened to be a tall tree with thick enough branches for me to climb that peered right over the wall. Using that, I was able to climb to the other side. At first, I was afraid when I saw a tiny cottage sitting alone in the trees on the human side, but it didn't appear to be occupied, for nobody had come out to chase me away, so it worked out fine. It's actually not as hard to get over as I thought it was. Everyone here makes it sound near impossible, but maybe that's just to keep us teenagers from rebelling and going over. 

At my lack of a response, Jenny makes up her own explanation. "Were you dancing around again, pretending to be a peasant waiting for his prince charming to come find him, and you knocked into it?"

"That was one time," I respond, embarrassed by the memory, "and I already paid you back."

"Money doesn't replace invaluable art," my sister says.

"A hand painting of a turkey that you made when you were four is not invaluable art."

She lets out a huff and crosses her arms. "Just light the dandelions, will you?" 

I go over to the mailbox-like container attached to the back wall and pick out a few ember dandelions. After placing them inside the bowl, I look up to my sister who has a match already lit for me. I take it from her hand and drop it into the dish. Instantly, the once-yellow dandelions turn orange, and hot, brown steam rises from the weeds. The actual flame dissipates as soon as it touches the plants, but the scent of the burning is potent and will be for the next nine hours, for that's how long an ember dandelion burns. 

Around us, the pegasi neigh and begin walking around in circles, signalling that they're about to lie down and rest. I don't know who the first person to find out the connection between pegasi and ember dandelions was, but they must've been a genius. Once all the pegasi are fast asleep, Jenny and I make our way out of the stable. 

Almost as soon as I step outside, movement in the sky draws my eye to a lump of gold and brown plummeting from the clouds. It's gone behind the trees so fast that I question if I even really saw it. Then a loud crash sounds in the distance, and I look to Jenny. 

"What is that?" I ask. 

"What's what?" she responds. "The noise? Probably just some kids breaking things."

"I think something fell from the sky," I counter. 

"Like a bird?"

"No," I answer. "Bigger than a bird."

I power walk over to the gate in the fence, leaving my sister behind. As I exit out and walk around my house to the roadway, I spot my friend, Kourtney, rushing over to me. 

"Did you see that thing fall?" she asks me. 

Kourtney's an elf like me, and she has an amazing fashion sense. She basically acts as my personal stylist for special events, which always earns both her and me plenty of compliments.

"I did," I reply. "Do you have any idea what it is?" 

"No, but basically everyone is going down to find out, so come on."

She waves me onward, and I race after her down the curving street, stopping only once we come up on a large crowd of bodies, all with curious and concerned faces. 

Kourtney and I wind our way through the people to get up closer. When the centre of everyone's attention comes into view, it's one of the last things I expected it would be. In the centre of the circle lies something I've only ever seen in books. It's a griffin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I was going to have this chapter and the next one condensed into one, but then I realized it would be way too long, so alas, there's two.


	4. Completely Crazy, Not to Mention Illegal

** Griffin **

A griffin has the body of a lion but the head and wings of an eagle. It is comparable to a lion in size, and has a loud squawk in place of a roar. Griffins are territorial creatures. They will fight those who they think are a threat, but once you have a griffin on your side, they are loyal and brave animals who will not hesitate to put themselves at risk to protect the things they care about. 

**______________________________________**

**Seb's POV**

Griffins are native to Africa and some parts of southern Europe. They certainly do not exist here in North America, but somehow this one managed to make it all the way here to the Black Woods. This griffin is fairly small compared to what I've learnt them to be. The fur of its body is gold, and it's head and wings are covered in mahogany brown feathers. In between those feathers leaks blood from the scrapes it has due to its crash landing. Frail squawks of pain sound from its beak. It's hurt, but everybody here is too afraid to get closer than five metres from it. 

All of a sudden, a tiny voice speaks by my ear, and I look to see Nini hovering between Kourtney and I. 

"What is it?" she asks.

Nini's a fairy whose house is build upon the branches of one of the pine trees near my neighbourhood. That's how most fairy houses are, because it keeps them from accidentally being broken by the larger creatures, since they are so much smaller. Brownies usually follow the same guidelines with their homes, but theirs are closer to the ground, since it's more convenient for the flightless beings. Some sprites live in my neighbourhood as well, but most have built their houses on the rocks along the waterside of different lakes, ponds, and ,of course, Spirit's Bay. 

Nini is another one of my best friends. We met when we were little after I noticed some other fairies making fun of her emerald green wings, but I thought they were dazzling, so I told her that, and we've been friends ever since. Although not a fashion connoisseur like Kourtney, Nini is very talented, specifically with the fairy's ukulele. I remember being with her when we were eleven years old when she saw one of the faun children, Kaison, playing a ukulele during recess. Instantly, Nini was mesmerized by the sound and wanted to play it, but it was too large for her own arms. She was excited to hear that there was in fact a type of uklele made for the size of a fairy. Now she writes songs and sings on the daily. 

"I'm pretty sure it's a griffin," I answer. 

"How did a griffin get here?" Kourtney questions. 

I have no explanation to offer. I tune into the voices of the other villagers arguing over the creature and what to do with it. 

"Do you think there are more with it?" asks Mr. Huffman. 

"If there are, we'd better hope they're not aggressive," Miss Faunders says. 

Mrs. Dragonsnap flutters up to interrupt the two speaking, saying, "Let's just leave it here. Once it dies, we'll feel it to the vultures."

Fairy Mrs. Dragonsnap is known for being a pessimistic snob. She loves to pick on the kids who pass by her house, saying they don't know the hard work of walking between villages that she endured when she was a kid, back before they had pegasi to fly. She thinks she's so wise, but she's really just a jerk. 

Suddenly, I see my father step into the centre, dressed in his nice, grey suit and cherry red bowler hat. 

"We can't let it die," he says. "It should be treated and nursed back to health."

"If you care so much about it, then you can take it," Mrs. Dragonsnap spits. "Surely you have space in those stables of yours."

My father puts his fists on his hips and holds his chin high, accepting the mission. "I will." As soon as he says that, I know what's going to happen next. My dad whips his head to me and requests my service. "Son, come take the griffin home while I fetch a witch doctor who knows something about strange animals."

I drag myself forward, nervously keeping my eyes on the whimpering beast. The crowd around it starts to disperse, except for my friends who are still waiting for me. My dad looks down at me with far more confidence in his decision than I'm showing. 

"Where am I supposed to put it?" I ask. "Do you think it will try to eat the pegasi if I keep it in the stables?"

"The old barn is large enough for it. Take it there."

"But I don't know how to handle a griffin."

"You're a smart boy. You'll figure it out."

My dad gives me a firm pat on the back and walks away before I can ask anymore questions. I turn around to my friends who have sorry eyes.

"Any chance I could get some help carrying this home?" I ask. 

Kourtney nods and comes over. The two of us step around to either side of the griffin, looking down at it with uncertainly. 

"Okay, how do we pick it up without it throwing a hissy fit?" Kourtney questions. 

Her question is answered by Nini tossing a swirl of sparkles over the griffin with a wave of her hand, and the griffin gently floats up off the ground. The griffin stays suspended in the air, following Nini, Kourtney, and me all the way to my yard and across to the barn at the far end of the field. 

The structure is practically falling apart. Wooden planks in the roof and walls are rotting at the edges, but it still holds up, surprising as that is. Inside, the space is empty aside from some hay bales by the walls. 

After resting the griffin down in the centre of the dirt, Nini, Kourtney, and I sit atop the bales, watching the griffin from above. It doesn't move, but it releases brittle squawks every once in a while. I really hope the witch doctor gets here soon enough to keep it from dying. After a while, it starts making a sound like a coo, and it's loud enough to echo off the ceiling. 

"Why is it making that sound?" I wonder.

"Maybe it's hungry," Nini guesses. 

I look to my friends. "Either of you know what griffins eat?"

"Hopefully not fairies," Nini responds. 

Right on time, the doors to the barn swing open, and my dad leads the witch doctor in. It's Doctor Opal Oduma. She wears a long white and black striped gown with bell sleeves, and black hair sprouts from the ponytail on the top of her head like a tree. She's not the doctor we usually get to treat our pegasi, but I have faith that my dad didn't choose someone incompetent to treat the griffin.

As the doctor sets a work station out beside the beast, my dad motions for me and my friends to leave. The three of us exit and find a place by the sunflowers in my family's field to sit down. 

"Well, that officially made my ordinary day extraordinary," Kourtney tells us. 

"Tell me about it," Nini says. 

The girls glance to me, likely waiting for me to agree with them, but all that comes out of my mouth is, "Um . . ."

Obviously my day was anything but regular, but I probably shouldn't tell my friends about how I snuck onto the human side of the wall just to get a bowl. Unfortunately, by the time I realize that, my friends already know I'm holding something back.

"Um?" Kourtney says. "What did you do today?"

"Nothing much," I lie. 

"Seb, you're an awful liar," Nini replies. 

"Okay, fine. I crossed the wall."

I probably shouldn't be smiling while saying that, but I can't help it. The girls' faces are completely contradictory to mine. They stare at me with wide-eyed concern. 

"What do you mean you crossed the wall?" Kourtney interrogates. 

"I broke my family's burning bowl, and Almaha was all out of the right kind, so I just went over to get one."

"Well, at least it was only one time," Kourtney sighs, "and you won't do it again."

I tilt my head. "Well . . ."

Kourtney's eyes expand further, looking like a mom about to lecture her kids. "No. You cannot go back there. What if someone sees you?"

"Someone already saw me," I tell her. 

"What?" she freaks. "Someone saw you, and you're not the least bit worried about that?"

"No, because it was a cute boy."

Suddenly, Nini's face lights up, and she lets out an, "Aww!" which greatly contrasts Kourtney's exasperated, "You're kidding."

I ignore Kourtney's disapproval and focus on Nini as I explain, "His name is Carlos, and he was running the shop where I bought the bowl from. He helped me pick it out, and he held the door open for me, and when I tripped, he caught me."

"Awwwww," sounds Nini again, this time longer. "Are you gonna see him again?"

"Of course not," Kourtney butts in. "It would be completely crazy, not to mention illegal. Seb cannot date a human."

"Ignore her," Nini says, waving off Kourtney's statement. "She's just bitter cause she's single."

"I am not bitter," Kourtney snaps. 

"Right," Nini responds sarcastically. "You're super cheery. That's why you always say 'ew' whenever Ricky and I show the slightest bit of affection."

I cut off the girls' bickering by saying, "I'm going to see him again tomorrow."

Both girls respond at the exact same time, Kourtney saying, "Bad idea," and Nini saying, "Good idea."

"Forbidden Romances are the most magical," Nini goes on. 

"Nini, you're a fairy," Kourtney reminds her. "Anything can be magical for you."

"I'm just trying to be a supportive friend," Nini says. 

"And I really appreciate that," I say. "Thanks, Nini."

Nini and I both turn our eyes to Kourtney, waiting for her to cave. Eventually, she does and lets out a sigh. 

"Fine," she says. "This boy better be hella cute, and if you don't end up dating, I'm gonna be mad."

Her approval earns her two joyful claps from me and Nini. It's good to have my best friends on board with my completely nonsensical idea. Their agreement makes it feel a little less impossible. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed those two chapters! I did! I'm super excited for this story. I honestly think it's going to be really interesting and different than what I've already written. I'm going to try not to make it too long, but who knows. It could become an encyclopedia (probably not, though). I'm aiming for around 15 chapters, so hopefully I can stick to that. I love you all! Thanks for reading! If you like this story, I'd be super grateful if you'd tell your friends about it. Also, again, if you ever have requests or ideas, feel free to comment them. I can't guarantee that I'll take them, but there's a higher chance than if I didn't know about them. Goodbye!


	5. Law and Morality

**Carlos's POV**

"I can't believe it," Ashlyn reacts. "He was from Cantonuie?"

She leans on the counter of my father's shop, invested in my story of what happened this afternoon. I've already told her how cute the blonde boy was. Well, 'told' may be an understatement. I practically gushed about him for ten minutes, and she was just smiling the whole time, happy that I've met someone I'm so affected by. 

"Yes," I sigh. "I wonder if I'll ever see him again."

"Oh, Carlos," Ashlyn says with sympathetic eyes, "if you made half the impression on him that he did on you, then I know he'll be back someday."

"Ah, yes, of course. I'm sure I'll be delighted when he visits again next year."

I drop my head into my elbows on the counter, and I feel Ashlyn's hand pat my shoulder. 

"Come on, Carlos. Cheer up. I hate seeing you down."

I prop my chin up on my fist, saying, "You know, maybe I could forget him, but he's just so...not like anyone else. For one, he seemed to like me. He also has this adorable smile. Oh, and his ears were peculiar. They were pointed."

Suddenly, Ashlyn's eyes widen, and she zaps up straight. 

"Pointed ears?"

"Yeah..." I reply. 

A grin spreads onto the girl's face. "Carlos, you know what has pointed ears?"

I can already see where this is going. She's going to bring up some magic stuff, and I'm going to have to explain again why she can't talk about that. 

"Ashlyn, he is not a faun," I state. 

She shakes her head. "Not a faun. An elf."

I raise an eyebrow at her, but she holds firm.

"You think the boy I met is an elf?" 

"I do," she says, "and you should be glad. If he's an elf, then that means he's from the Black Woods, and the black woods isn't hours away."

"Ashlyn, are you hearing yourself? That would mean he's from the other side of the wall. Nobody can cross the wall."

"Then how did Miss Jenn meet that faun?"

"Have you considered that maybe she didn't meet a faun, and she really is just crazy?"

Ashlyn shakes her head at that. "No way. She seems very sane. Sure, a little quirky, but not crazy."

"Okay, but Seb is not an elf," I insist. "He's sweet and—"

"Elves can be sweet," Ashlyn cuts me off. "I think there's only one way to determine if he's really an elf."

"And how is that?" I say, entertaining the idea. 

"We need to talk to an expert. Let's go to Miss Jenn's."

I want to argue, but she's already moving, grabbing her tan, plaid coat from the rack by the door. When she spins around, I can see that she's not going to budge on this.

She waves for me to come, ordering, "Let's go. If you want that boy to be your boyfriend, then you need to find out if he's within a reasonable proximity."

I let out a breath and go over to join her. "Fine, but with all this effort we're going through, if you're wrong, and he really does just live in Cantonuie, I'm never going to let you hear the end of it—at least until he visits again next year."

Ashlyn looks at me with a smirk and her eyebrows up, silently tell me I should want her to be right. Yeah, I suppose I do, because that boy left me smiling like an idiot the whole rest of the afternoon, daydreaming about what we could be. If he's an elf, then he found a way to get over the wall, and he can do it again if he wants to see me. 

"He better be an elf," I mutter. 

_______________________________________

I've only ever been to Miss Jenn's one other time, when I had to get materials for a school project that Mr. Mazzara, my teacher, refused to give me an extension on. Miss Jenn lives in a shack that sits directly adjacent to the giant stone wall. Trees that surely must touch the clouds in the daytime surround the little house. The walls are built up of large rocks, and the house has painted green shingles that stick out sharply like thorns. Leading up to her doorway is a tiny, wooden bridge that arcs over a stream about the width of four of my feet put together. 

The inside is no less peculiar. Textiles streak the air like stripes between machine parts. It's cluttered with both finished and half-finished products. Embroidered rugs hang like drapes from the ceiling, creating curtains that one has to push past as they travel through the store. I assume Miss Jenn's living space must be in the back behind the shop part.

Miss Jenn, herself, is no less exciting. She wears a dress made up of far too many colours and patterns to be considered fashionable, and strings of beads dangle in her hair. She has bright eyes that seem to flicker with interest at every sound or sight that approaches. 

Aside from her intense curiosity, she doesn't seem unusually crazy. She greeted me with a handshake and a kind smile like anyone else would, and she hugged Ashlyn. Clearly, Ashlyn and Miss Jenn know each other well. 

Right now, Ashlyn and I each sit on round, colourful pillows on the hardwood floor, while Miss Jenn is propped atop a tiny stool fit for a toddler. I don't know why there aren't any normal chairs around, but I don't bother asking, for I know I'll probably get some crazy answer. 

"Yup," she says after I finish my description. "Sounds like an elf to me. Did he turn invisible at all?"

"What? No."

"Well, if he was invisible, then you wouldn't have seen him, so it's possible isn't it?"

"I suppose so."

I don't know what I would rather at this point. If he's human and just lives far away, then maybe we could see each other again someday, and at least our relationship wouldn't be condemned. But if he's an elf, then that means he lives right on the other side of the wall visible through the open window. He's right there, and we could actually get to know each other, but then I wouldn't be able to tell anyone, for otherwise he might be killed. The people of Salaecity don't take lightly to magical folk, especially not the idea of them escaping the Black Woods. 

"Miss Jenn," I say, "have you ever met an elf?"

"I have," she replies. "Her name was Magenta. What a lovely lady."

I glance to Ashlyn before looking back to Miss Jenn, asking, "Was she nice? I mean, did she try to hurt you?"

Miss Jenn leans forward on her stool. "Carlos, dear, you've been raised to believe that everything in that forest is bad, and that it was cast out for a reason. I'll tell you the same thing I told Ashlyn when she first came to me: at some point, you have to make your own decisions on what's good and bad. Learn as much as you can, then draw your own conclusion."

"But," I respond, "the law was put in place for a reason. It was to keep us safe."

"The law and morality do not travel the same path," Miss Jenn states. "That's especially true when the law is built off a false history."

"You think it's not true?" I say, surprised. "Do you think we just threw out the magical folk for no good reason?"

That can't be true. Humans are good and rational. We wouldn't have divided the magical folk from the human folk simply because they were different from us. They must have done something. They must have tried to overpower us. That's the only explanation that makes sense. 

"I don't say anything unless I have evidence to support my statements," Miss Jenn replies, not answering my question. "Carlos, if you want to find out if this boy is an elf or not, there's one simple way to do so. Ask him."

"But what if I don't see him again?"

Miss Jenn waves off the proposition. "He'll come back."

"How do you know?"

Her eyes spot something past my head, and stands up in an instant, disregarding my question completely. My eyes follow her to what she's fixated on, seeing a tiny, gold butterfly perched upon a belt of cotton fabric. The butterfly isn't ordinary, though. It radiates a faint glow of light. 

Miss Jenn swings her hand to shoo it away, and the bug takes off, flying out through the nearest open window, which Miss Jenn slams shut after the creature's gone. Where the bug was sitting on the cotton, there's now a charred, black patch.

"What was that?" I ask. 

"A coalfly," Ashlyn answers. 

"Yes, and what pests they are," Miss Jenn huffs. 

"It's from…the other side?" I say. 

"Well, a wall can't keep out the things that fly," Miss Jenn says. "But they never stray far from their home. I hypothesize that they have some kind of connection to that land, a pull that draws them near."

I've never learnt anything about what specific creatures live on the other side of the wall, except the basics like witches and evil spirits. I've never before heard of a coalfly. There must be a lot of things about the Black Woods that I don't know—that nobody knows. I wonder if anyone in the town can explain exactly what they're afraid of, or if everyone's just afraid because they've been told they should be.

_______________________________________

The sun is always brightest in the morning, so my parents make me keep the curtains drawn in order to ensure the sun doesn't cause the colours of the merchandise to fade. Unfortunately, that makes for a pretty dark atmosphere. That is until a beautiful smile lightens the room. 

I'm not even surprised to see Seb again. I I figured I would. After talking to Miss Jenn last night, I've been convinced. Now that I'm getting a better look at his ears, I know there's no way I'm wrong. Those are not human ears. 

It doesn't even matter, though, because his smile still makes my legs weak and my heart race. 

"Well, I feel lucky," I say, unable to hide my grin. "What brings you back?"

"It turns out the bowl was the wrong size, so I need another one," he says. 

"Okay," I respond, skeptical of his intention. "What is the bowl for?"

He looks caught off guard. He hasn't prepared this part of his story. 

"Um…food," he replies. He even looks disappointed in his answer. 

"You came all the way to Salaecity for a bowl for food?" I summarize.

He looks so nervous that it actually pains me a little. Seeing him anything but happy is like looking at a wounded puppy. He's far too cute and gentle to be left in distress.

"Seb, can I ask you a question? It might sound a little crazy." 

The worry stays on his face as he waits for me to continue. 

"Are you an elf?"

Immediately, he takes a step back, saying, "I'm afraid I must go now."

He hurries for the door, and my own panic hits me. Not wanting him to leave, I rush out from behind the counter.

"It's okay," I call. "I'm not going to tell anyone."

Seb freezes with his hand on the door, and then he turns back around. He stays still as I walk toward him. I stop in front of him, and a smile graces the boy's face.

"Thank you."

"It's no trouble, really," I say. "I'd rather not ruin my chance to get to know you before I even start."

He giggles, and his cheeks turn pink, which makes me smile too. 

"You want to know me?" he says. "Anyone else would want my head if they knew I was an elf."

"Yeah, well, my friend made a very strong argument for you," I say with a shrug. "And strange as it is, considering I only met you yesterday, I trust you."

The boy grins even wider, and I feel my heart skip a beat. I wonder if that's another power all elves have or if it's just him. 

Suddenly, his eyes light up like he's having an idea, and he asks, "How much do you trust me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry it's been a few days since I've updated this. I was busy finishing Us In Red. I'm going to be putting my focus on this now, so I will be consistent (hopefully) with my updates. I love you all! Thanks for reading! I'll see you soon with the next chapter!


	6. Carlos From Leridge

**Seb's POV**

Carlos's hand is shaking as it takes mine, holding on while the boy climbs down off the last branch of the tree. He glances behind him at the towering wall before looking back to me with wide eyes through his big glasses. 

"I can't believe I'm actually here," he says. "This is incredibly illegal."

He lets out a laugh filled with both nerves and excitement, and I begin leading him through the forest. The whole way, he's gazing around, gawking at the greenery as I describe it and its magical qualities if it has any. He's particularly interested when I tell him about the bree trees, a type of deciduous tree that's leaves combine together with the leaves of neighbouring bree trees to form something like netted bridges between the plants. Their leaves are also quite sturdy, so they can hold close to the weight of a truck before tearing. 

At one point, Carlos points out at a fluffy animal climbing a trunk and asks, "What's that?"

"That's a squirrel," I reply with a giggle. "We also have normal animals here too."

"Oh," he says, turning a little red in embarrassment.

As we wander farther, he spots the houses of my village approaching. 

"What's that?" he asks. 

"That's the village where I live," I answer. 

He stares out at the buildings clustered in the clearing of trees. 

"I looks so...earthy."

"Well, it is on the earth," I respond with a chuckle. "I can show you around there if you'd like."

"Won't they know I'm human?" Carlos questions. 

"Honestly, as long as you're not trying to kill anyone, I don't think many people will even notice you. But just to be safe, I've already come up with a solution."

Carlos raises an eyebrow, curious as to what explanation I could have for his simple, human form.

"If anyone asks, you are Carlos from Leridge, a witch who's sworn off magic."

"Right, and how believable is that?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure nobody here knows anyone from Leridge, so it could be common there."

"Works for me," Carlos says with a grin. 

I lead him the rest of the way to the village, and he enters in with amazement shining on his face. His focus flicks from the bigger houses on the ground to the tiny ones in the trees, and back down to the designs swirled through the dirt roadway in coloured powder. I explain how the powder is from coughing tulips, a breed of flower that "coughs" out colourful dust from its pistil eighty-four times a day, and the kids who live here like to draw on the road with it.

Pretty soon, we pass by my house, and I point it out to the boy. 

"That's my house," I say. 

"It's lovely," Carlos responds. "What does your family do?"

"We own a ranch and a farm," I explain. "But it's not the same kind of farm as your people have. We don't have cattle or chickens or any animals for eating."

"You don't eat animals here?" Carlos says in surprise. 

"No, that's gross," I say. "We don't eat dead corpses. We're not zombies."

"Fair enough," Carlos replies with a nod. 

"We just have a big field of crops out back," I go on. 

"How can you have a whole farm in the middle of a village?"

"We're not in the middle. We're on the outskirts. Plus we have a huge backyard. I'll show you"

I guide Carlos around the side of my home, making sure to pass the windows quickly so that my parents inside won't see. I'd rather not have to lie to them about who Carlos is and where he came from, so it's just easier if they don't know he's here. I hold the gate open for Carlos, and he walks into the massive field in awe. Way in the distance, the crops are visible, sprouting proudly from the soil. 

Carlos spins around, smiling at his surroundings as he frolics forward, and I have to run to keep up. I call out for him to slow down, and he eventually stops and turns, giggling, to me. 

"This is amazing," Carlos says. "I've never seen anything like it."

"What do you think of the Black Woods so far?" I ask with a grin. 

"Nothing like what I thought it'd be," Carlos admits. 

All of a sudden, a neigh from one of the stables nearby grabs Carlos's attention, and he starts rushing toward the building. 

"Can I see the horses?" he asks, even though he's already going to see them. 

"Well, actually, they're not horses," I call out. 

A look of wonder splashes onto the boy's face as he skids to a halt at the entrance to one of the stables. I hurry to get over to where he is. 

The pegasi flap their wings and neigh, showing their excitement for the new person in the room. I step up to the nearest pegasus, the one named Click, which also happens to be my own, and stroke his crest. 

"Woah," Carlos breathes

I turn back to him, saying, "They're pegasi."

"They're stunning," Carlos replies. 

I smile and watch as he steps over to my pegasus, gazing at the beautiful creature. 

Then I make an offer. "Want to ride one?"

Carlos looks at me with a huge grin, and a few minutes later, we're up in the air on Click's back. Carlos holds on to me with his arms around my waist, and I hold the reigns. 

Below us, parts of the village peak through the foliage, and I explain the map while he listens in awe. As we soar through the wind, we come up high enough that I can see the bay in the distance. The deep blue water looks still today, but I know there's much life inside and around it. 

"Is that Spirit's Bay?" Carlos asks over the sound of the breeze blowing through our hair and clothing. 

"It is," I reply. 

Carlos takes a breath and says, "Wow."

We continue our flight, curving back around to stay near the village. I'm a bit confused when Click swoops downward over the lake at the edge of Dandefield, Lake Agnus. Carlos actually notices why before I do. 

"Who are those people waving down below?" Carlos asks. 

I smile when I see them, replying, "Those are my friends."

Click circles around a few times before finally landing on the grass by the lake. Immediately, Kourtney, Nini, Ricky, and Big Red all cluster by me. 

Ricky and Big Red have been best friends their whole lives. They only joined our friend group once Ricky and Nini started dating, but I enjoy both their company, so I'm perfectly fine with it. Big Red is an elf who lives on this end of the village close to where Ricky, a brownie, lives, but we all attend schooling together during the year, so that's how Nini and Ricky met and became close.

After climbing off the pegasus myself, I hold out my hand to help Carlos get down, and he takes it with a cute smile. At the sight of my friends, especially Nini and Ricky who stand on the ground much lower than everyone else due to their size, Carlos's mouth drops open a bit. 

"Is this him?" Nini asks.

"Who's him?" Ricky questions, looking lost. 

"Um..." I silently gather the story together again before trying to recite it. "This is Carlos. He's from Leridge."

"A witch?" Big Red asks, noticing his lack of pointed ears. 

"Yes," Carlos answers for himself. "But I don't do magic."

Ricky and Big Red both nod, and a second later, Ricky asks, "Seb, can I talk to you real quick?"

He propels himself forward with a gust of wind, and I follow him over to a place on the land where there's a large enough rock for him to stand on to look straight at me. Far enough away that the others can't hear him, Ricky glances back at Carlos then to me. 

"Why does he look like he's never seen...anything before?" Ricky questions. "I mean, just look at him."

I look back at the boy. He's watching, awestruck, as Nini uses her magic to make the leaves on the ground spiral up into the air and fall back down like confetti.

"They don't have fairies in Leridge?" I suggest, but Ricky's face shows that he doesn't believe me one bit. 

"That the best you can come up with?" Ricky asks. 

"Okay," I sigh. "He's human."

"Yeah, makes sense."

"You can't tell anyone, though," I say. 

"It's fine," Ricky says. "I won't. He seems pretty harmless, so I'm not exactly worried for anyone's safety."

At that, Ricky and I head back to our friends who seem to be getting along very well with Carlos. 

I interrupt their laughter to catch Big Red up to speed, saying, "Hey, by the way, Carlos isn't a witch."

"Yeah," Big Red responds with a chuckle. "I figured that much when he said he didn't know what a thunderbird was."

Carlos looks to me with apologetic eyes, but they only make me smile more. Of all the people I could've met yesterday, fate decided I should stumble upon this boy's shop. If it were up to me, I'd say fate should get a promotion, because it sure is doing a good job. 

_________________________________________

It's nearing evening when Carlos and I return to the stable to put Click away for the night. Carlos brushes out the wrinkles in his clothes after hopping off the pegasus, and I tie the animal back into its stall. 

"This has officially been the most exciting day of my life," he says. 

I smile and reply, "I'll do my best to top it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

He looks at me in question, and suddenly I feel silly for assuming he'd want to come back. Maybe this was just something he wanted to experience once, and now he'd rather just carry on with his regular life in his regular town, far away from me. Maybe I was being presumptuous in thinking he cared about me. Maybe all he cared about was seeing the Black Woods.

"Oh," I mumble, looking down at my feet. "Sorry, I thought— I didn't—"

"Seb," Carlos cuts me off, bringing my eyes back up to his, "I would love to come back."

I breathe a sigh of relief and feel my lips curl into a smile. 

As we exit the stable together, I feel Carlos's hand brushing mine, making my heart leap with every touch. I've almost worked up the courage to try to hold it when I hear a voice catch my attention, and I spin around to see Jenny exiting the neighbouring stable. 

"Is that your sister?" Carlos asks me. 

"Yes," I reply. "Wait here. I'm just going to go deal with her, and I'll be right back."

I rush over to where she's leaning on the outside wall of the stable with her arms folded over her chest and a teasing grin on her face.

"Who is that?" she asks me, scanning the boy from afar. 

"He's from Leridge," I lie. "His name is Carlos, and he's a witch."

She nods, not able to wipe the smug grin from her face. 

"What?" I ask, wondering what she finds so entertaining.

"Nothing. It's just that you obviously like him. Is he your prince?"

The notion makes me blush, which makes Jenny giggle. 

"Maybe," I reply. "I hope so."

"Aww! That's so cute! Then I believe it's my job as your little sister to embarrass you."

"Please don't," I tell her. 

"Oh my God," she gasps. "You're totally smitten."

"I just think he's cute," I insist. 

She nods her head slowly. "Mmmhmmm. I look forward to the wedding."

"Jenny, you're so embarrassing," I say. 

"Good," she replies. 

Then she heads off toward the house, strolling along, clearly pleased with herself. I spin around to look back to where I left Carlos, but he's not there anymore. Worried, I start calling for him. 

"Carlos!"

"Over here!"

I snap my sight over to the barn at the end of the field where Carlos stands examining it, and then I race over to join him. 

"What are you doing over here?" I ask him. 

"I heard something like a bird, and my natural bird-loving instincts made me follow," he answers. 

"Well, it's not a bird," I tell him. "Not really."

"What is it?"

I consider the risk of letting him see what's inside. Yesterday it didn't seem too dangerous, and it is still healing, so it can't be too aggressive. I decide to open of of the doors just a crack first to peek inside and make sure the griffin doesn't want to eat me. When it simply glances up and then back down from where it lies on the dirt, I conclude that it's safe enough to let Carlos in too. The boy stares at the creature, mystified. Everything he's seen today has been a wonder to him, but this creature is the only thing that's still a wonder to me. I gently pull the barn door shut behind us to ensure the animal won't escape. 

"It's called a griffin," I explain. 

Carlos smiles and steps a bit closer to the beast. At first, it doesn't react, but when it pushes itself onto its feet and locks its eyes on him, I rush up to put an arm in front of Carlos.

"Careful," I say. 

Carlos is frozen as the griffin starts moving forward toward him. 

"Stop," I order the griffin. "Stay back."

It doesn't listen, continuing its approach. Carlos stares up at it as the beasts giant beak comes down on his head, resting atop the boy's hair with the gentleness of a feather. Both Carlos and I are surprised, but me especially, for I thought it would surely try to fight Carlos. 

"I think it likes you," I say. 

The animal wipes its beak down the side of Carlos's head and then goes around to do the same to the other side. When it's done, it bows its head down to the ground. Carlos looks at me, silently asking what he's supposed to do, and I shrug, unsure. He takes a cautious step forward, and the griffin stays in its place. Then he reaches his hand out and slowly brings it down to touch the creature's beak. Its eyes flash up to Carlos, and Carlos releases a breath, a smile appearing on his face. 

"He's so nice," he says. 

"I'm pretty sure the witch doctor said it was a she," I respond. 

"Then she's really nice. Does she have a name?"

"Not yet."

I step up beside Carlos, who's now petting the animal's feathered head. 

"You can name her if you want," I say. 

He looks at me with a huge smile. "Really"

"Yeah, sure."

He returns his gaze to the griffin, pondering over what we should call her. His eyes examine the golden fur of the creature's body and the bright orange feathers of its face. After a moment, he has his answer. 

"How about Sunny."

"Sunny," I echo. "I love it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for another really long chapter. Um, I'm loving where this is going to go, so I hope you will all be just as excited as I am. I love you all very much! Have a lovely day.


	7. It's Not Possible

**Carlos's POV**

The sofa that Ashlyn and I lounge on used to be boring and brown, but now it's covered almost entirely in random patches of fabric that Ashlyn has sewn onto the piece of furniture. Her living room is painted blue, with an elaborate interior, designed by her mother, that reminds me of baroque. The curtains that hang over the window were made by Ashlyn, as was the tea that Ashlyn and I are both sipping from mugs while I tell Ashlyn about another incredible experience that she's fully captivated in.

When I'm finished my story, Ashlyn brings her mug down to her lap and says, "Wow. Seb, the boy who looks like an elf, is actually an elf. Who would've thought?"

"Okay, you were right," I admit. "Now can we get back to me, please? I got to ride on the back of a flying horse."

"Wait, aren't you afraid of heights?"

"Sweetie, I can't bop to the sky if I'm afraid of heights," I remind her.

"Never mind. EJ's the one afraid of heights." She sips her tea again before letting her head fall back onto the pillow behind her. "I wish I could fly on a pegasus."

"Maybe you can," I respond. "I'm planning on going to see him again tomorrow."

"You're saying I can come?" Ashlyn lights up.

"Yeah, sure," I reply.

"Yes!" Ashlyn cheers. "Thank you!"

"I mean, you could've gone without my permission anyway, but I'll just accept the praise and say you're welcome."

Suddenly, the front door opens up, and in steps Ashlyn's cousin, EJ. The boy hangs his jacket on the coat rack and puts a smile on when he sees Ashlyn and me.

"What are you two doing here?" he asks. "Are you guys excited about my tux being done too?"

"EJ, I live here," Ashlyn retorts. "Don't you have mirrors to look into or something?"

"Go off, sis," I chime in.

Ashlyn and I lean in to share a high five, and EJ lets out a huff.

"I'm going to go find your dad to get my tux," he says, "so I'll leave you and your boyfriend alone."

"EJ, I'm gay," I state bluntly.

"Oh," he mutters. "Welp."

EJ looks around casually for a second before going off toward the stairs that lead upstairs to Ashlyn's father's tailoring studio.

"Speaking of, tuxedoes" I say to Ashlyn, "do you know if _mine_ is done?"

"I'm pretty sure it is," Ashlyn replies. "You're going to look great."

"And same with you," I respond. "Although, you still haven't shown me what you're wearing."

"I found this silver suit at a second-hand store," Ashlyn explains, "but I'm not going to show you until the day of."

"You know I don't like surprises unless it involves me getting a role in a musical."

"Well, you're going to have to wait," Ashlyn says before bringing her mug up to her mouth. "And totally not just because I still have to make some alterations to it."

That makes me laugh a little, and she joins in, but after a moment, our laughter dies, and I start thinking more about the Summer Solstice Celebration, eventually ending up too far in thought.

"I wish I could bring him as my date," I sigh.

Ashlyn shrugs, raising her eyebrows. "Don't cross the possibility off yet."

"He's an elf," I remind her. "It's not possible."

She tilts her head. "Really? You're going to let something like his ears get in the way of true love?"

"I did only just meet him."

"And you're obviously meant to be."

She smiles and takes another sip of her beverage. Her idea still floats in my mind. Could I bring Seb? If I did, I'd have to come up with some way to make sure no one recognizes him as being non-human. Maybe I should take a page from Ashlyn's 'act now and think later' book and just go for it. Then again, that would be putting my crush's life at risk, and I'm not sure how wise that would be.

**______________________________________**

**Seb's POV**

"Seb!"

"Sorry. I'm coming."

I haul the bucket of ember dandelions into the stable and place it down at my sister's feet.

"Thank you," she says. "Now, I'll take care of lighting these for the pegasi. Can you figure out how to get the griffin to shut up? Last time I went by the barn, all I heard was constant whining."

"Her name is Sunny," I tell Jenny, "and you should speak politely about her. She's been through trauma."

Jenny rolls her eyes. "Just go fix her."

"How?" I question. 

"I don't know. See what's wrong and get rid of the problem."

"Jenny, I—"

In an instant, my sister dissolves out of sight, and I shake my head at the air where I assume she must be. 

"You can't just turn invisible to avoid talking," I say. 

"Sorry. I can't hear you," comes her voice. "I'm not here."

I let out a huff, knowing she's still here. She just wants me to go away. 

"Fine," I say. 

I wander out of the stable and into the darkness of the night. While I trudge across the field, I feel the bugs in the air hit my face, and I have to spit to get some out of my mouth. I'm relieved when I make it out of the bugs and into the barn, but that relief is replaced with concern as I hear the squawk of the griffin echo off the ceiling. 

I step forward carefully, not wanting to scare the animal. The space is shaded, but there's enough moonlight peaking in through the cracks in the roof for me to make out her shape. Her squawks clip from loud to soft as she cries out. It's clear that she's in some kind of pain, but I can't tell why. 

She looks to me as I walk toward her, but she doesn't move. Instead, she just gazes up at me, her voice dimming a little when I place my hand on her neck and begin to pet it. The second I touch the creature, I sense what I hadn't before. Something's wrong with it—not visibly, but internally. I can't identify where, but I can feel a part of her being eaten away by the hour. 

I kneel down beside the griffin, keeping my hands on her feathers, and her eyes follow me. She lets out another loud cry, and I shush her softly. 

"It's okay," I whisper. "It's okay."

I drag my hands down to her back, feeling the fur tickle my palms. Then I close my eyes and concentrate on drawing my energy to my hands. Within two minutes, the exhaustion of a two-mile run sinks into my body, replacing the healing energy that I've poured out into this griffin. 

I know I'm done when the squawking stops and the griffin brings its head down to the ground and closes its eyes. I doubt it was able to sleep at all last night with the pain it was feeling. I guess the witch doctor can only heal outside wounds. She wasn't able to see the disease spreading through Sunny's body. Now the creature can finally get the rest it needs. 

I stay for another while, sitting with the griffin as she falls asleep. After a few hummed lullabies and a lot of petting, she slips into a dream state, and I can leave knowing she's alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. I wanted to use this chapter to introduce a few different concepts and notions. It's definitely not the most exciting, but it is fairly important for driving the story forward, so I hope you all were able to bear with me. The next chapter will be a bit more exciting, i think. Anyway, I love you all, and have a good night!


	8. I Wish I Could

**Carlos's POV**

"When you asked if you could bring your friend here, I didn't expect her to know this much about the Black Woods," Seb tells me. 

Ashlyn scurries around ahead of Seb and me, examining up close every little plant or animal that seems unusual. What surprises Seb is how she's able to name about 30% of them. 

"This is a Cailleach's clover, right?" Ashlyn says.

She touches the white clover that's as tall as her knees. It has a naturally bumpy texture on all five of its leaves. Ashlyn is fully enthralled by the plant for a good 3 seconds before she sees a strange orange moss and goes over to see that. 

"Yeah, she's kind of obsessed," I reply. "There's this woman in our town who somehow knows a lot about here, and Ashlyn spends a lot of time with her. You know, she's the one who first figured out you were an elf."

"Well, she seems lovely," Seb comments. "Her enthusiasm is admirable."

Ashlyn gasps when she sees the houses come into view. She instantly takes off in a run toward the village, and Seb and I have to jog after her. She gazes around at the buildings as she steps onto the dirt road. 

"Just to check," Seb says, "who are you?"

"I'm Carlos's cousin from Leridge," Ashlyn answers. 

"Perfect," Seb responds. "And if someone asks you to do a spell?"

"I've sworn off magic," Ashlyn states. 

"Wonderful. You'll be fine."

We don't get far before I see two of Seb's friends, Kourtney and Big Red, walking over to us. 

"Hey," Kourtney says. 

"Hi," Seb responds. "Where are Nini and Ricky?"

"Off somewhere doing some couple thing," Kourtney replies. Then she looks over to Ashlyn and asks, "Who's this?"

"This is Ashlyn," I say. 

As Big Red steps up, he has a look of astonishment on his face. 

"Wow," he breathes. "Is everyone in your town as pretty as you?" 

That makes Ashlyn go red as a tomato in an instant, and she glances to me with a grin appearing. When she brings her eyes back to Big Red, she holds her chin up a little bit. 

"I could ask you the same thing," she says. 

Big Red lets out a light laugh, and Ashlyn smiles more. 

"If you want a guide for the day, I'd be happy to show you around," Big Red then offers. 

Ashlyn flicks her eyes quickly to me for an instant before replying to Big Red, "I'd love that."

Big Red smiles and holds out his hand, and Ashlyn takes it, following him off down the road. 

Kourtney's the first one to react to what just happened, saying, "Damn, okay. Carlos, got any guy friends? Preferably tall and funny."

I chuckle and reply, "Well, my friend, EJ, is tall, but he's not that funny, so sorry."

"Guess I gotta keep looking," Kourtney says. "And on that note, I'ma leave you two alone."

"You can stay," Seb tells her. 

"I know, but I'd rather not be third-wheeling," Kourtney replies. "I do enough of that with Nini and Ricky. I'll see you later."

The girl gives us a little salute before heading off toward the house which I'm guessing must be hers. At her exit, Seb turns to face me. 

"So what do you want to do today?" he asks. 

"There's so much I haven't seen. I don't know where to start."

That puts a smile on Seb's face as he gets an idea. 

"Well, you've already seen my farm and some of the nature here, but you haven't seen much of the village. I'd argue that Dandefield's downtown is worthy of being in a thousand paintings."

"I think I'd like to see that for myself," I reply with a grin.

_______________________________________

Jars and boxes burst with candy. The colourful designs painted on the walls give the place a very bubbly mood, and the dangling lightbulbs swing every time something is dropped or shoved. It smells like chocolate by the counter, and behind it, I can see a kitchen where a couple people are stirring up a pot of the melted, brown substance. 

"Welcome the best candy store in Dandefield," Seb tells me. 

"Is there another one?" I ask.

"No. Hence why it's the best."

I laugh, and he takes my hand and leads me down the isles. He only has his hand with mine for a few seconds, but it's more than long enough to cause my breath to stutter and my arms to go weak. When he lets go, it's like closing the blinds on a summer morning. I'm shocked back into existence beyond just the two of us. 

He reaches into a jar of lollipops and takes out two. 

"This is my favorite," he says. 

"What flavour is it?" 

"Banana plinkoberry."

"What's a plinkoberry?"

"Um, it's kind of like raspberry but completely different."

"Great explanation," I tease. 

Seb giggles, saying, "Well, it's hard to explain things when you don't know anything I'd try to compare it to anyway. There are probably plenty of things about your side of the wall that I wouldn't be able to understand unless I saw them."

"Uh, I can't think of much. Maybe politics, but even humans don't understand that."

"Well, once I pay for this," he says holding up the lollipops. "You can try it, and then you will know what a plinkoberry tastes like."

I follow him to the cash register, and the woman there asks for 4 copper coins. I find it particularly interesting that they use the same currency as humans do. I would've thought it might be different.

When we step back outside, I take in the beauties of downtown once again. The road here is gravel, not dirt, and it's even thinner, with tall buildings that seem to lean and curve as they get closer to the sky. The street is busy. Similar to my downtown, people zoom past each other, looking like they all have somewhere important to be, but the people here look nothing like those in my town. Some of the folks here are only as tall as my waist, while others are the size of Nini and Ricky, fluttering around either by wing or by gusts of wind which blows the coats of the taller folk up as they pass. 

Seb and I stop in the middle of the tied of bodies, and he hands me one of the lollipops. We each unwrap our own and then stick the yellow candy in our mouths. I can taste the banana right away, but I also taste something tangier. The best way I could try to describe it is maybe a cross between a raspberry, a starfruit, and a lime. 

"Do you like it?" Seb asks. 

"It's really good," I reply. 

Suddenly, Seb's eyes swerve to the window of the shop behind me, and I spin around to see a woman waving at him. 

Seb steps around me and pulls the door open, making a bell ring above. He gestures for me to go first, and I smile. It appears his adorable awkwardness has passed to me, for I feel my foot catch on the step up, but I manage to regain my balance before requiring assistance. Still, Seb puts his hand on my arm and looks at me with soft eyes. 

"Please don't get hurt," he says. "I'd like you either way, but I do prefer you without any injuries."

I let out a laugh filled with butterflies. He likes me. 

This store has a much less colourful theme. It's mostly brown tones with shelves not of candy, but of various antique items from old dolls to strange street signage. The lady working the till comes out from behind the counter to greet Seb with a hug. 

"Hello, deary," she says. "How have you been?"

Her long, black hair is braided in two ropes that fall down past her waist, ending right where her floor-length skirt begins. At the hem of the clothing item, stripes of colour to match the rainbow ring all the way around the bottom of the skirt. 

"I'm doing well, Ivory," Seb replies. "How are you?"

"S'well. Thanks for asking." She turns to me. "I see you've brought a friend. I'm delighted to make your acquaintance. I'm Ivory."

"I'm Carlos," I respond.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Carlos."

"Ivory finds everything that you see in this shop," Seb explains. 

"I also make some of it as well," Ivory says. "The wood carvings are some of my own wand work, as well as the jewelry."

She goes over toward a corner of the store that has wooden sculptures cluttering the shelves. Seb's eyes wander over to a stand where bracelets with dark wood beads dangle. Seb is drawn over to the display, and I go over after him. 

"Those are sun bracelets," Ivory explains, walking back around the counter. "In the centre of each bead is sunstone. They're selling fast because of Litha coming up in a couple days."

I nod, and another ring of the doorbell gets Ivory's attention. As she walks over to help the new customer, I look to Seb.

"Litha is the summer solstice, right?" 

"That's correct," Seb responds. "I'm surprised you know that."

"Well, Ashlyn told me," I say. "My town has a huge celebration every year."

"That sounds so fun!" Seb says. "I wish I could go to something like that."

I recall what Ashlyn said about how I could invite Seb, and what I said about how I could not invite Seb. In the end, my heart gets ahead of my brain.

"Well, would you want to come?" I ask, "like, as my date?"

Seb thinks about it for a moment, and I feel my nerves building up more every second he takes. Eventually, a smile crosses his face. 

"I would be honoured."

"Great," I say, releasing the breath I was holding in. "Uh, you should probably wear a hat or something to cover you ears."

"Actually," he says with a grin, "I have a better idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. I'm gonna finish citing a paper now. Also, idk if I already mentioned this or not, but I do consider myself a variation of pagan, so this is quite fun for me to write. Have a lovely day!


	9. The Ears

**Seb's POV**

As we enter the large shed through the side door, Carlos nearly stumbles backwards while looking up at the lightbulbs floating in mid-air. Gina's shed is chaos at its finest. The shelves are filled with random items, including jars of ingredients for potions, various stones, and magical tools that haven't found a specific place, for they are put away somewhere new every time Gina's finished using them. The concrete floor is stained with a million unknown liquids, and some black burns are mixed in with those. There's a black cauldron suspended by chains in the back corner, and a bookshelf next to that, packed floor to ceiling with information on all things witchcraft. In the centre of the shed is Gina's work table where she springs up from her chair as we enter. 

"Seb," she says. "What brings you by?"

She closes the book that she was reading, which is titled _Magic With Feathers_ , and walks around the table to lean back on the side closest to me. 

"Hi, Gina. This is Carlos. Carlos, meet Gina."

Carlos gives the girl a smile, to which she just nods. 

"Can you keep a secret?" I ask her. 

She raises an eyebrow. "What kind of secret?"

"The kind that you can't tell anyone at all," I reply.

She ponders for a second before saying, "Let's hear it."

"Well, Carlos is a human." 

Her mouth drops at that, and an open grin forms on her face. 

"No way," she responds. "So this is, like, a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing. That's so cute. I'm totally here for it."

Carlos and I share a glance, both stuck in bashful smiles. He really is adorable, even when he's nervous like he is now. 

"So basically, Carlos invited me to this celebration thing today," I carry on, "but there's one problem keeping me from being able to go."

"The ears," she says with a nod. 

"Yes. Can you fix that?"

"I'm on it."

She goes over to the bookshelf and searches for a specific book. When she finds it, she pulls it out and drops it down on the table with a clunk. She flips through the pages, landing her finger on one in particular. 

"Awesome," she says. "The potion's really easy."

Carlos and I watch as she grabs four jars each from different shelves and plinks them together on the table. I read the labels: siren scales, sparkling dirt, dragonfly wings, and coconut milk. She grabs a tiny bottle the size of my thumb and pulls the cork top out. Then she begins dropping each ingredient in it, finishing by putting the cork back in and shaking the bottle. Now fully mixed, the substance is a shiny purple-ish white. She hands me the bottle, and I take it, giving it another scan. 

"This will make your ears look normal for about ten hours," Gina says, "so you've got to be home by then."

"Like a Cinderella-clock-strikes-midnight kind of thing?" Carlos questions. 

"Exactly," Gina says. 

"That won't be a problem," I say. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Gina says. "Just remember you owe me a favour now."

"Of course," I reply. 

She waves as Carlos and I head out of the shed, neither of us tripping this time. 

______________________________________

**Carlos's POV**

Seb's anxiousness is obvious as we walk up the sidewalk, nearing the park from which the sound of chatter and the strings ensemble rings out. 

"Hey," I say, purposefully stepping too far over that my arm brushes his as we walk. "They'll love you."

He nods, but it's clear that he's still worried. 

"Do I look okay?" he asks. 

I admire his navy tux and black bow tie, feeling a little overwhelmed by how strong the pull toward him is right now. 

"Stunning," I reply. 

Seb smiles. "Nothing compared to you."

That makes me feel so flustered that I giggle a little, not knowing what to say. 

"Well, you can't see you right now," I say after a moment. "If you could, you'd definitely agree with me."

When we get up to the crowd, Seb stops in his tracks and gazes around at all the people. Light from the bonfire burning atop its stone stage flickers on all of them as the groups talk. Some sit at picnic tables or on blankets on the grass, eating the delicacies brought by the townspeople on the tiny plates made by my parents. Children run and play tag, darting between the standing adults while their parents warn them not to bump into anybody. 

Soon, I see Ashlyn appear out of the crowd and approach us. She looks amazing with a ruffled blouse under her shimmery suit and strappy, black heels. She does a little presenting wave of her hands down her outfit before laughing and making it the rest of the way toward us. 

"Ashlyn, you look beautiful," Seb compliments. 

"Completely agreed," I say. 

"Why, thank you," she responds. "You both look incredible. And Seb, nice ears."

He reaches to touch them again, remembering again that they're rounded like mine. 

Ashlyn's attention turns when she notices my parents coming over. 

"Hello, Carlos, Ashlyn," my father says. His eyes land on Seb. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Carlos's father."

Seb shakes my dad's hand, and then reaches to accept my mother's handshake as well. 

"Pleased to meet you," Seb says, his voice shy. "I'm Seb."

"You're Carlos's friend?" my dad asks. 

"Carlos, you never mentioned him before," my mother joins in. 

"I have," I lie. "A couple days ago, but you were busy making dinner, so you probably didn't hear me."

"Oh, my bad," she apologizes. "Please remind me again. Seb, are you new to Salaecity?"

"Actually, I live in Cantonuie," he answers. "I came to the shop a few days ago and met Carlos."

"Cantonuie," my dad repeats. "That's a long way to come."

"Well, my dad is doing work near here, so he comes through the town daily anyway," Seb improvises."

"What kind of work does he do?" Mom wonders.

"Uh, he studies birds."

"That's interesting," Mom replies. "My sister's husband is in the same profession."

"Speaking of," my dad says, "before coming over here, your sister was begging me to try her chocolate berries."

"Oh, yes," my mom remembers. "We should do that. It was nice to meet you, Seb. Ashlyn, charmed as always. Carlos, don't dance too close to the fire."

She turns to leave with my father, and Seb looks to me right away. 

"Did something happen with you and fire?" he asks me. 

"Last year he was dancing while eating and accidentally tossed his whole plate of deserts into the fire," Ashlyn says with a laugh. 

I'm embarrassed, but Seb's smile takes away a bit of that. 

"Well, I guess I'll have to dance close to you to make sure nothing happens this year," Seb says. 

Ashlyn gives me a look and a grin, but I'm too lovestruck to do anything but smile at Seb. I suddenly can't wait until the dancing begins, and after about and hour of mingling aimlessly with those around us, the strings section finally changes their music to something upbeat and made for dancing. Immediately, I take Seb's hand and pull him into the centre of the park where people are congregating around the bonfire to bop to the tune. At first, we both try to stay more reserved with our moves, but after a few songs, we've let loose, and we're both laughing non-stop while doing way over-the-top dance moves that make those around us stare. 

"I didn't realize you were such a good dancer," I comment.

"Oh, I dance pretty much constantly," Seb replies. "I've always wanted to do musical theatre, but there isn't much opportunity for that in my village."

"Honey, I feel that. I've always wished this town had a greater appreciation for the performing arts."

Then the song dies, and a new song begins, but this one is slow, made for couples. The crowd pairs off, and I feel my heartbeat pick up as Seb turns his eyes to me. This is my chance to ask him to dance. 

"Seb—"

"I'd love to," he answers before I can even start my question.

He steps up to me, linking one of his hands with mine, and placing his other on my waist. While we sway in sync with the tempo of the music, his eyes stay with mine, and I can't help but keep smiling. Something about dancing with him right now feels like a daydream. Only a few days ago, I didn't think I'd ever find love in Salaecity, but now, what I have with Seb may not be love, but it's getting there. I can feel it getting closer every time I blink and see him standing with me again. 

"My parents seem to like you," I say.

"You think so?" 

"I know so. They never take that much interest in people they don't like."

He smiles. "I'm glad."

"I think they could probably sense how much I liked you and that influenced their opinion," I confess. 

"Or maybe," Seb counter-proposes, "they could sense how much I liked you, and they knew we would be amazing together."

His eyes hold mine so steady that the only place I'm able to break my stare away to is his lips. I think he catches me looking there, because he moves in a little closer. I feel the earth's gravity shift from the ground to him. It tugs me inward, and I'm helpless to try and disobey it. 

"Maybe you're right," I whisper. 

I feel the adrenaline go free through me as his lips are almost at mine, almost close enough to create a spark. 

All of that shatters when frightened gasps sound off around us, and Seb and I both spin toward the cluster of people all standing in a circle nearby. They all stare down at something on the ground in the middle, but I can't tell what until I get closer. When I do realize what's causing the commotion, terror spikes my blood in an instant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm getting better at cliffhangers. Idk. I try to do them every once in a while. Also, I spent three hours writing this, and now it's past when I usually go to sleep, so I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Also, I made the cover for my upcoming Redlyn story which I'll likely be posting after this story is done and while I'm working on KAAFF Rising. I kind of love the cover, and I love the story concept, and I think you are all going to love it too. Anyway, have a lovely night!


	10. All a Daydream

**Seb's POV**

I feel vomit threaten my throat as I stare down at the dead fairy. Her body's been mashed from the fall, and a huge bruise is on her head from where she was hit by a rock. The kid with the slingshot in hand seems confused by what he just hit out of the sky. Grumbles come from the townspeople around me, but none of them are concerned for the well-being of the fairy they just killed. Instead, they're focused on themselves. 

"This is a sign," one woman says. "The magical miscreants are trying to get out."

"This is an outrage!" a man agrees. "How can we know we're safe if they're able to get out?"

"This is a threat to our town!" another person shouts.

The talk continues, but I can't look at the fairy any longer. I turn around and hurry away from the crowd. I hear Carlos's voice shouting my name, but I don't stop. There's no reason for him to leave. He's human like them. I'm the one they hate. 

"Seb!" the boy calls. "Stop!"

I've made it pretty far down the street before I turn into an alley between houses and spin to face Carlos. His eyes are filled with concern, which makes everything that much harder. His people don't like me. If they knew what I was, I doubt they would even hesitate to do to me what they did to that fairy. This was a stupid idea from the start to talk to a human boy, regardless of how cute and kind he is. We're simply not meant to be together. 

"I'm sorry," I breathe. "I shouldn't have agreed to come here."

Carlos shakes his head. "What are you talking about? Everyone loved you."

"Because they thought I was like you. Carlos, if they knew what I was, I would end up like that fairy. And what would they do to you if they knew you had invited an elf into their town?"

"Did you know the fairy?" Carlos asks quietly. 

"No," I reply, "but it doesn't matter. She's from my world, and I should've stayed there."

I can see Carlos's eyes getting teary, and mine are doing the same. It's hard to look at him like this. It feels like I'm ripping out a piece of my heart. Maybe I am, because I'm tearing him apart, and he has my heart. 

"Seb, you're not thinking clearly," Carlos says. 

"Carlos," I whimper. "Don't you see? This was all a daydream. It could never be real. We could never be real."

"Seb, don't…"

I dissolve myself out of sight, knowing he's not going to let me go unless he can't see me leave. I'm doing this for his good just as much as mine. I don't want him to be an outcast in his own town. He should be with those like him. I don't know why I ever thought this could work. 

Carlos looks around frantically for me, his eyes now puffy from sobbing.

"Seb?" he calls out once more. 

"I'm sorry," I whisper. 

I leave him behind in the alleyway. My tears blink back into sight as soon as each one hits the boards of the sidewalk. 

________________________________________

Eating dinner with my family is the last thing I want to do right now. My parents talk together about how good the corn is looking today, as though the world didn't come crumbling down only hours ago. My sister doesn't say much. She never does. She's not big on letting people into her life, and I could not relate to her more right now. 

"Magenta, could you pass the pepper?" my dad asks. 

My mom does as asked, and my dad thanks her with a smile. He grinds the spice over the tomato soup we're having for dinner. I stir mine around with my spoon, as I've been doing for the past five minutes. I just don't feel very hungry right now. 

"Seb, honey, are you okay?" Mom asks me. 

"Yeah," I lie. "I'm fine. Just feeling a little sick."

"Well, you were out with your friends for quite a while today," Mom says. "Maybe tomorrow you should stay home and take it easy."

"That sounds like it will be a good idea," I respond. 

I look down at my food again and attempt to bring the spoon up to my mouth. Halfway there, my shaky hand falls down again. 

"Do you mind if I finish my dinner in my room?" I ask. 

"No. Go ahead," Dad says. 

I smile and lift my bowl to carry it upstairs to my bedroom. I place the bowl on my nightstand and flop down onto my bed. I gaze up at the painting on the ceiling that I continuously add to whenever I get bored, hoping one of the thousand images will get my mind off Carlos, but I see him in everything. He's consuming everything. 

A few minutes later, I hear a knock on my door, and Jenny peaks her head in. 

"Hey," she says. 

"Hi," I reply. 

She invites herself in and closes the door behind her. Then she plops down on the other end of my bed and looks at me. 

"What's up with you?" she questions. 

I try to think of some made-up reason for my melancholiness, but my mood is clouding my imagination. With a sigh, I decide there's no reason to keep anything from her. 

"Remember Carlos?"

"The boy who rode Click with you?"

"That's him," I confirm. 

"Okay. What about him?"

"I did a dumb."

"You messed things up with him?" 

"No," I say, sitting up. "I made a mess by talking to him in the first place."

She doesn't get it. 

"Why? He seemed to like you, and I know you like him."

"That's the problem," I say. "Jenny, he's not like us."

"Because he's a witch?"

"Because he's a human."

Jenny's jaw drops, but rather than lecturing me on good decision-making, she starts laughing. 

"That explains so much," she says. "So why was it a dumb to talk to him?"

I furrow my brows at her, shocked that she doesn't already understand. 

"Jenny, he's a human," I emphasize. "I went to the other side today, and the others like him, they were all talking about how people like me are dangerous to them. They hate our kind. Even if Carlos and I did stay together, what would our future be like? We'd be sneaking around for life. It's simply not doable."

Jenny frowns, seeming like she finally gets it. 

"Yeah, no, that makes sense," she utters. "It must be hard. But you know," she says, her voice brightening up a little, "you're such a kind and smart person that you'll find someone else no problem."

"I don't want someone else," I snivel. "I want him."

Jenny's eyes reflect the same hopelessness that I radiate out. 

"Yeah," she breathes. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but we're only a few chapters away from the climax. I'm going to attempt to do a triple update today, but we'll see how that goes.


	11. We Do It Tonight

**Carlos's POV**

The sun may have just set, but the warmth was gone long before now. Ashlyn walks beside me down the sidewalk. She thought I needed something to cheer me up after I never returned to the Solstice Celebration. I don't see how anything could help, but she's following her best idea, which is to buy me a cinnamon waffle delight at Catherine's Diner. I pretty much frown the whole way there. I wish I could be happy and just appreciate what's she's doing for me, but it's difficult to forget what else happened today. 

"There's nothing better than waffles to get your mind off stupid boys," Ashlyn says. 

"Seb wasn't stupid," I mutter. "He was the best person I've met since you."

"I know. I…" She stops herself. 

I don't think she knows how to respond. I'm not mad at her of course. She's only trying to cheer me up, but there's nothing that could convince me that Seb wasn't my soulmate. I'm pretty sure we were designed for each other. 

"Sorry," Ashlyn mumbles. 

"It's not your fault," I say. 

"I know. I just feel bad. I don't know how to fix this."

"You can't. No one can. I'm bound to be alone forever, an old hag with eight cats and no friends for they'll all be tired of hearing my stories of lost love."

"Hey," she says. "I'll never get tired of your stories."

That makes me smile just a little. "Thanks."

We approach the diner, and Ashlyn pulls the door open and holds it for me. It's surprisingly busy tonight. There is a crowd of people all having some heated discussion by the counter. Ashlyn and I choose a booth far away from them. 

I pick up the menu and hide my whole face behind it, trying to drown out my thoughts with pictures of random brunch meals. While I'm doing so, however, I can't help but begin paying attention to the noisy argument happening nearby. I drop my menu and turn to watch the crowd, seeing Ashlyn do the same. 

"Those magic folk are trying to invade our land again," Mr. Admur speculates. "We have to fight back before it's too late."

"I say we just burn the whole forest!" Mrs. Wells shouts. 

"I'm with Kerry," Miss Jenkins agrees. "We've put up with those demons for long enough."

"We do it tonight!" Mr. Taylor announces. "Tell everyone you know. Let's finish this once and for all."

I whip my eyes to Ashlyn who has the same terrified look on her face. We don't need to talk to know what each other are thinking. We both spring from our seats and bolt for the door. 

______________________________________

Ashlyn and I split once we enter the village. She's on her way to find Big Red, while I'm standing outside Seb's house, wondering if he'll even be willing to listen to me. My hands feel clammy, and I try to calm my breath, while I get together the courage to go up to the door. 

I stop at the steps, realizing his parents don't know who I am, and they'd probably be confused at my arrival. I walk back and look up at the house, wondering how I should approach this. Then I spot a light glowing from the side of the house, so I wander around and end up seeing what looks like a bedroom with a blonde-haired boy in the window. 

I go through the options in my head of how to get his attention, landing my eyes on the pinecone that's fallen from the tree in the neighbour's front yard. I pick up the item and come back around. I crank my arm back then launch the pinecone at the window. It taps the glass, and the boy inside flinches and turns around. When he sees me, he shakes his head and moves out of my view. 

I guess he really doesn't like me at all anymore. I didn't even do anything, but he's still turning his back on me. How could he just forget me like that? Maybe elves really aren't like humans. Maybe they don't have emotions like we do. Maybe they're just heartless. 

I lower my head in disappointment and take a step to go, but right as I do, I come face to face with Seb who's come outside to meet me. Seeing him makes me forget for a moment why I came, for all I can think about is how much I wish he hadn't left me. He looks at me with something like exhaustion and anguish. 

"You shouldn't be here," he tells me. 

"It's an emergency," I state. 

He considers his next move for a second before stepping over to me the rest of the way. 

"I overheard the townspeople talking," I explain. "They want to set fire to the whole Black Forest, and they're planning to do it tonight."

Terror flashes through Seb's face. 

"Thank you for telling me," he says after a moment. "I need to go warn people."

He starts past me, but I spin around and stop him by shouting, "Seb, I want to help."

He turns back to me, saying, "This isn't your fight. You shouldn't be drawn into this. You're human, not magic, so you can't be here when the humans come."

"Seb."

I walk up to him, and he stands still, his eyes locked on mine. I'm tired of him trying to protect me by pushing me away. I don't care how dangerous it is for me. I just want to be with him. I want him to let me in. I want to keep pretending that there aren't a million forces keeping us apart, because the force that's drawing us together is a billion times stronger than all the rest combined.

"I want to be wherever you are," I tell him. 

Then I take his face in my hands and kiss him, and there's not a single millisecond of resistance. Whatever was telling him to stay away is broken the instant my lips touch his, and I feel his hands touch my arms as he melts into me. The need to be with him is amplified by a thousand now that I'm finally getting my wish. It floods through me in the form of adrenaline, making my heartbeat race to catch up to his. It would take a meteor hitting the earth right now to convince me that this isn't meant to be. 

Although our bodies divide, I feel our beings stay intertwined, and his hands slide down to link with mine. He has a smile on his face that makes me want to kiss him again, but he talks before I can let the desire take control. 

"Are you sure about this?" he asks. 

"I've never been more sure about anything," I reply. 

"Okay. Let's go."

He pulls me along by the hand to the stables behind his house. We enter the closest one, and the only light is from a single flickering lantern that dangles from the support beam overhead. The air smells sweet, a scent I can't identify. Through the orange glow, I notice smoke rising from the ground, and I turn my attention to the purple bowl from my shop sitting on the dirt, holding fiery flowers that don't seem to be turning to ash even though they're emitting the smoke. Around us, all the pegasi lie on the ground, fast asleep. 

As soon as he arrives at the stable, Seb spins back to me with a frown. 

"They're not going to wake," he says. "We'll have to walk."

He starts out of the stable, but I recall a memory of another flying animal.

"What about Sunny?" I wonder. 

Seb thinks about that for a second before the realization hits him, and he darts across the field. 

When we open the barn doors, the griffin stirs awake with a squawk. At the sight of us, she leaps to her feet, flapping her wings rapidly.

"It's okay!" I shout over the wind. "It's just us!"

The animal calms down and cocks her head to the side. Seb goes over to brush her feathers with his hand. After a moment, he brings his hand over to her wing. 

"Hey, Sunny," Seb says kindly. "I need your help, okay?"

A tiny chirp sounds from her, and Seb smiles. 

"Good," he says. "Now don't be scared."

Carefully, Seb climbs up onto Sunny's back, and the animal lets out a loud squawk, to which Seb pets her neck.

"It's okay," he says. "I just need you to be brave for me, okay?"

Sunny flaps her wings lightly, which Seb takes as an okay. 

He waves me over, and I jump up behind him. With us both settled on Sunny's back, Seb gives her a pat. 

"Can you fly for me?" he asks. 

Her wings start to flutter, and I wrap my arms around Seb's waist as he holds on to the griffin's neck. After a minute of preparation, Sunny starts running forward, and with a jolting leap, we're up in the air. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm going to try to write another chapter today, so wish me luck. I hope you all enjoyed reading this one, and I'll see you soon!


	12. The Sprites

**Seb's POV**

As the village fades from view, Carlos starts asking questions. 

"Aren't we warning the village?"

"Yes," I reply, "but first we need to tell the sprites."

"The what?" 

I push down on Sunny's neck, and she understands the direction, diving headfirst for the coast of Spirit's Bay. It's clear to tell where the sprite houses are on the rocks, for shimmers radiate through the water nearby. Waves ripple out from where fish and kelpies break the surface in leaps. 

Clearly, Sunny's not familiar with landing softly. Carlos clings to me for his life as the animal clunks down onto the grass, landing on all fours. Carlos takes a moment to catch his breath before dismounting the griffin with me. 

I look out to where the grass stops and the giant rocks begin. The nearest house flick its lights on. My arrival wasn't exactly quiet. I'm sure I woke its occupants. The door opens, and I see a sprite I know, Nini's cousin, step out of the structure. Sharle rubs her eyes and looks at me in confusion. 

"Seb?"

I start walking over, but pause when I hear Carlos behind me. 

He has his hand on Sunny's beak, saying, "Stay here for me. Okay?"

The griffin sprawls out on the ground, and Carlos smiles. 

"Good girl," he says. 

He runs to catch up to me, and the two of us go up to Sharle. 

"What is that thing?" she questions, pointing to the Sunny. 

"That's a griffin," I reply, "but that's not why I'm here. I need you to round up all the sprites. The humans in Salaecity are going to try to burn the forest sometime tonight, and we need a defence."

"Slow down," she says. "How do you even know this?"

I glance back at Carlos then reach for his hand to pull him up beside me. 

"This is Carlos," I say. "He's my human boyfriend."

Sharle eyes him with skepticism. 

"Didn't you say the humans were the ones who were going to burn us?" 

"He's the one who warned me about it," I tell her. "He's a good one."

"What does he have to gain from warning us?" 

"Uh," Carlos speaks up, "I am his human boyfriend, so…trust?"

She contemplates for a moment, trying to make sense of everything I just told her. 

Eventually, she says, "You're being serious?"

I nod. 

She takes in a breath, now becoming worried. 

"Okay," she says. "I'll tell the other sprites."

"Thank you," I say. "You're a lifesaver—literally."

She gives me a faint smile, but I can tell she's too nervous to respond. She heads back into her house, and a few minutes later, she returns with her parents. Her parents both seem utterly baffled as Sharle drags the half-asleep sprite and fairy out of the house. They both look at me and Carlos for a second before being pulled again by their daughter. 

While Sharle is hard at work banging on doors and gathering the neighbourhood, Carlos sees something off the shore that captures his interest. His eyes seem to gloss over, and he starts walking forward toward the bay. After a second, I hear what's so enthralling for him: a melodic voice projecting from nearby rocks in the water. I grab his arm and pull him back, which snaps him out of his daze. 

"Carlos," I say, "be careful."

"I—" he stutters, "I thought I saw a mermaid."

"That's not a mermaid," I tell him. "Mermaids sleep at night. Sirens are nocturnal."

"What's a siren?" he asks. 

"The thing that was drawing you to almost drown yourself," I reply. "They look like mermaids, but they can hypnotize humans with their singing."

"And I am a human," Carlos puts together. "Thanks for not letting me die."

"You're welcome," I say with a little chuckle. "Now we need to get going. There are many more people to warn."

"Of course."

Carlos and I clamber onto the griffin again, and she takes off, flying us up over the trees and back to Dandefield. 

We land at the west end of the village, and Carlos and I begin knocking on doors, warning everyone we can. Many of them are grumpy due to being woken up, but they all become alert when I explain the direness of the situation. Pretty soon, we have a herd of people all helping us with waking the village. 

By the time we reach my neighbourhood, its already rumbling with worry. I see Big Red and Ashlyn at the end of the path by my house, and Carlos immediately runs up to hug his friend. Sunny squawks at the noisiness of the neighbourhood, and I pet her neck to calm her down.

"We've told everybody over here," Ashlyn updates us. 

"Are the sprites aware?" Big Red asks me. 

Suddenly, the moonlight above disappears, and we all look up to see a giant mass of water floating across the sky, guided by sprites, some flying, and others riding kelpies. They're getting their defences ready. Any moment now, the humans should be arriving. 

"Wow," Ashlyn and Carlos breathe in unison. 

Movement to my left steals my attention, and I turn to see my parents rushing toward me. My mom smothers me in a hug, while my dad stands back, eyeing Carlos with caution. 

"Did Big Red tell you what's going on?" Mom asks me as she lets me go. "The humans are coming for us."

"I know," I say. "Carlos warned me first."

"Who's Carlos?" 

She looks over to my boyfriend who gives her a smile, fear apparent in his eyes. 

"Carlos is my boyfriend," I say. "I went to the human side, and I met him, and he's really really nice, and—"

"A human?" my dad exclaims. 

"I am too," Ashlyn says then backs out, adding, "not that you care about me."

She steps back to Big Red, and the two of them head off to continue aiding the villagers in preparing for the invasion. 

My parents just look puzzled. 

"Who is she?" Dad asks. "Also, did you ride the griffin?"

"Yes, and that's Ashlyn," I answer, "Carlos's friend."

"So you're dating a human," Mom restates. "How do we know we can trust him?"

That's when Carlos's smile turns genuine, and his eyes look to mine, staying there and making me feel fuzzy, even while he responds to my parents. 

"Well, you raised one amazing son. I wouldn't ever want to hurt him."

He breaks his eyes away from mine to see my parents' reactions. They simply stare at the boy with soft expressions. 

"A human who actually wants magical folk around?" my dad huffs. "You must be crazy."

"Just crazy for him," Carlos replies. 

That makes me grin wide, and I lace my hand through his. My parents nod, accepting the answer, concluding it to be either rational or just young love, something so irrational that it cannot be explained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is a really short one, but oh well. Only two more parts! Let's see if I can write them tonight! I'm up for the challenge.


	13. The History You All Believe

**Carlos's POV**

For a while, we all just stand here, waiting by the stone wall, blocked by our own wall of water that the sprites hold up. It extends out on either side of me far beyond my sight. The sounds of the night seem to be absorbed by the liquid. I think there should be a breeze too, but nothing gets through the water. The only thing I hear for a long time is the rippling of the aqua as the kelpies, as Seb told me they're called, swim through it.

Seb's hand holds mine tightly, and we don't let go—not during the whole wait, not when we see the appearance of a glow behind the wall, and not when the bodies start to climb over, using grappling hooks to hoist themselves up and propel down to the grass, torches of fire in hand. The humans' eyes go wide at the sight of the water wall. More and more of them join the others on our side of the stones, all of them dropping their jaws at the sight of the sprites' creation. But they don't drop their torches. They're still ready for a battle. 

Then I see my parents come down after Ashlyn's. EJ's not here. I doubt he cared enough to start a war that would wreck his hair. Me and Ashlyn's parents' eyes somehow go even wider when they see the two of us standing together on the opposite side of the water from them. 

This doesn't need to be a war. This can be a discussion, one where we learn to understand each other and end the fear. 

I step forward out of the line of magical folk, approaching the water. I stop in front of it and look up at one of the sprites above, Sharle. 

"I want to try to talk to them," I say.

Sharle nods her head and flutters down to where I am. With a spread of her hands, the water before me parts into a doorway, and I walk slowly through it, not a single drop falling on me. 

Everyone from my town stands in awe, especially my parents. None of them advance forward. I think they're all too dumbfounded by this twist of events. 

"Carlos," my father utters, "what are you doing?"

I take a breath and start the speech that I've been rehearsing in my head for the past hour.

"They're not evil," I say, my voice echoing off the both walls that surround me. "I've gotten to know lots of them, and they're just like us."

"They're freaks!" a man shouts. 

"They're people," I counter. "We were wrong about them. They don't want to hurt us. They're just different."

"They tried to overpower us all!" a woman yells. "They want to kill us, so we need to kill them first! If you want to go down with them, then that's fine with me."

That makes my father jump out of the crowd, stepping in front of me and shouting to the crowd, "No! This is my son!"

"Your son is on the side of the demons!"

"Look around you!" I tell them all. "They could drop this wall of water on you and flood your town at any second, but they haven't. Because they don't want to hurt you. I don't know why they would've tried to in the past—"

"They didn't," comes a voice to my left.

I look over and see Miss Jenn strolling up between the two walls. She must've taken the way I take to get here: the tree. After all, it is right by her home. She looks over through the wall, and I see her give someone a smile. It's Seb's mother and the shop owner I met a few days ago, Ivory. Both women seem amazed at her arrival. They must know each other. Of course they would. Miss Jenn knows too much about the Black Woods to have never been there before.

"The humans cast the magical folk out, not because the magic folk made any attempt to overpower the humans, but because the humans feared their differences. They feared that they were too strong to control, so they banished them. Any good psychologist will confirm the existence of this common response to a threat."

"Not the crazy lady again," someone in the crowd mumbles. "She's psychotic! She doesn't know what she's talking about!"

Suddenly, I hear the thick boundary of the water open up, signalled by the raise in pitche of the rushing water, as Ivory passes through a pocket of air. 

"She knows exactly what she's talking about," Ivory says. "Jennifer was my friend when we were only children. She learned first-hand that the history you all believe is not the truth. We have no intention to provoke you. We simply want to live."

"The woman is right," comes a deep voice I recognize. 

Out from the crowd steps the mayor, Mayor Cranston. He comes over to stand next to me. 

"Carlos Rodriguez is an A student in our town," the mayor proclaims. "He is nothing if not intelligent, and I believe his show of solidarity with these magical folk exists as proof that they are not muddy-hearted. Carlos has uncovered a long-held secret that the rest of us have neglected to notice."

I watch as one woman in the crowd begins to step forward. At first, I'm scared, but then that fear changes to wonder when she sticks her fire into the wall of water, putting it out. Others follow her lead and do the same, and those on the magic side of the water all watch with awestruck smiles on their faces. 

"Lower your weapons," the Mayor carries on. "Go home, and hug your children. Be thankful that you would not turn on them the way you intended to turn on these people tonight. I'll be writing to the king to request that there be peace between our two lands."

Once all the fires are put out, the water wall lifts off the ground, back into the sky with the sprites, and Ashlyn runs to hug me. 

"You are truly amazing," she cheers. "Look at the change you made."

"No, this is all you," I reply. "You believed from the start that the Black Woods wasn't bad."

"Yeah, that's true," she agrees with a grin. 

She spins around to Big Red who's waiting with open arms. He embraces her in an instant, and pulls her in to kiss her. 

Seb comes over to me with a smile, and I take both his hands in mine.

"You, Carlos," Seb says, "are quite the public speaker."

He steps up, closing the gap between us and bringing his lips to mine. If I didn't feel like I'd won before, now I definitely do, for he is the best prize I could ever receive. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One! More! Part! And it's coming tonight. Get ready.


	14. Epilogue

_**Three Months Later** _

**Carlos's POV**

The sun shines an orange glow across the whole land. Bugs buzz above me as I stare up at the sky, watching the blue change to pink. Lake Agnus always sparkles at dusk. Seb's told me its because of the seaweed that glows in the dark. I feel lucky to be able to see it everyday. Still, I sometimes close my eyes and think I must be back in my father's shop, and that I'm just stuck in a daydream. But when I tilt my chin down and see Seb's head resting on my stomach as the two of us lie together on the grass, I know this is real. This is all too incredible to to made up. I don't think I have the capacity to make up a feeling like this.

"If you could go anywhere in the world," Seb says, breaking the silence, "where would you go?"

I don't need any time to think. I know my answer like I know the back of my hand, like I know his hand in mine, like I know his breath and his heartbeat. 

"Here," I answer. "Right here with you."

"Really? Of everywhere in the world, you'd want to be here with me?"

"You are my world," I respond.

I see him smile, his eyes falling down to my face. His next words make the air around us hush and the animals freeze to marvel at what a wonder we are.

"I love you," he whispers. 

I sit up, which makes him do the same. He stares at me with his eyebrows up in anxious patience. He's never said that phrase before, but it's not really any question at all that I feel the same. 

"I love you too," I say. 

I bring my hand up to his jaw, holding it as I kiss him, feeling my heart beat inside him, for he's its home, and I know I could not have chosen anyone better to give it to. 

The magic of the other people on this side of the wall is nothing compared to the way this boy makes me fall weak with every word he says, with every move, every touch. I thought I knew what magic was before I met him, but I was so wrong. This—him kissing me, making me dissolve into him as close are our skin will let us be—this is magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I spent a long time writing just this small little thing. I really hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you all so much for reading. I love you all a ton, and I'll see you in the next story!


End file.
